TTNG: Book 2
by Firefly457
Summary: Sequel to TTNG: Book 1. Dad says that a real hero is not supposed to be distracted by anything. I was supposed to focus on the stolen xenothium. But when I closed my eyes, all I could see was Red X and Xavier Redson--not even my own boyfriend's face...
1. P r o l o g u e

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans © Warner Bros. & DC Comics**

**A/N: Parenthesis are not author's notes.**

P r o l o g u e

If you are just reading this (which I hope you aren't because then you are wasting not only my time, but yours also because there is a good chance you won't understand a thing) or you have just forgotten a little bit, my name is Mariander Jean Grayson. If you remember my previous account, when the TTNG was just created, you will remember that this is 100 percent true and it will—with luck—buy my freedom from my father. According to Detective Marquez, my account will be combine with Xavier Redson's, and Red X's accounts of what had happened to make it easier for the reader to understand. I think that it is a stupid idea, but I have little choice. Although I am happy to say this will be mostly my thoughts.

To have a small hope of understanding _anything _I say for the rest of this section or book or whatever you want to call this chunk of my life, you must understand three things: xenothium (I think I touched up on that last time, but if I didn't I'll do it now, the conflict of the Jokerz and the Xs, and Red X himself. For the rest of my account, both this one and later ones, these three will play a huge role.

People say that money is the root of all evil. I for one think that is total bullshit, at least in this day and age. Maybe in the past, like in 1980 or 2008, it was, but now it isn't. The root of all evil is more valuable than money. It is liquid, red, and can be injected into your body. The root of all evil is xenothium. If you follow are familiar with the Teen Titans' earlier work, before Slade's murder, you would know that xenothium powered the infamous Red X's suit and belt. When I turned 21 and got my first _real_ job, I dedicated a good part of my life to study xenothium. Ask me anything about it and I can answer you with ease. I know that xenothium was discovered in 2009 by Professor Chang. My father, the first Red X, bought some off him to power the first ever Red X suit. After that, it was used for the second Red X's suit, military weapons, and eventually drugs. Some idiot got his hands on xenothium decided that he would put it into a medical syringe and inject it into their body. Sure, they got a buzz. They grew a little bit stronger, a little bit faster, their senses become extremely heightened, and if they were lucky, they might be able to teleport for about ten minutes. Of course, like all people except a few (very lucky) people, they got XODD (Xenothium Overdosage Disorder), which was pretty much the AIDS of our time. It was almost exactly like Russo's Disease and attacked the same body systems: nervous and respiratory. People with XODD had "seizures", which meant they would become incoherent and begin trembling. They would experience great pain—mostly in the abdomen and would start gasping in and out. If they didn't begin to hyperventilate it was a miracle. And yet, people would literally _kill_ to get xenothium. Go figure.

As you must know by know, I used to be a member of the most famous gang in Gotham City, the Jokerz. Of course, no one, not even the TTNG, knew that. I told no one and my "good girl" reputation died because I began doing...small things that would get me in trouble. Like fighting in school, drinking on school campus, and being a total smart-ass. Like most Jokerz, I was trained to hate one group more that anything—even more that Jokerz were supposed to hate Batman and Barbara Gordon, my father's (Nightwing) mistress. And that group was the Xs, or the Red Xs. They were named after Red X himself. After he got a hold of xenothium, he got XODD and disappeared. Some people say he gave his girlfriend XODD and knocked her up. She supposidly died shortly after having his son, who no doubt had XODD also. Besides Red X himself, his son was supposed to be our greatest enemy. Soon, however, he became a laughing stock. I would sit with my friends, Murray, DJ, and BJ, in the back of Murray's van and we would joke around about who this mysterious son was and what he looked like since he had XODD. We settled on 4 feet tall, dark red skin, red eyes, and light red, sometimes gray, hair. At first, the Jokerz just hated the Xs because they always got in our way. They were always on our turf. After all, we robbed museums and performed grand theft auto and arson. They robbed parking meters and spray painted "Jokerz suck" on the wall of the police station. Like that was very threatening. But one day, an X killed a Joker for blowing him off and ever since the two gangs have fought against one another. Dane Matthews, the leader of the Jokerz and the man who killed my best friend, Murray, began marking Jokerz when they joined up. Soon, he made older Jokerz mark new Jokerz after they were initiated. Murray marked me and BJ when he later joined, I marked DJ when she later joined. The marking was different for both males and females. Boys had an _X_ carved into their stomachs, just beneath their belly buttons. Girls, like DJ and me, had an _X _carved right between their breasts. Our marks were symbols of our loyalty. It said that if we were ever caught with an X and we weren't about to kill them, we would die. To prove our hatred of the Xs, Dane even went as far as to hang some of their bodies, plus the bodies of Jokerz who betrayed the gang to the Xs, in our hideout's basement. Maybe being around the bodies made me unafraid of corpses. One day, Dane organized a raid, shortly after we found out where their main hideout was in Jump City. I was supposed to go, but Murray begged Dane spare me from going. I was upset, but I felt a little better about staying when I heard about the Joker casualties. But the most shocking news of all was that Dane had singlehandedly murdered the Xs leader, Jim Shane. We were ecstatic to hear this—until we found out who replaced him. Some guy whose name I couldn't remember and his accomplice. Red X's son, the new Red X. Two years later, after Murray was killed and I was in juvie, the Xs went on a raid in _our _hideout and killed half the gang—two times the amount we had killed.

Red X...To be honest, I never really gave him much thought when I lived in Gotham. I knew his father had become Crimson Death (don't you love it when reporters name, or rename, you without your consent and you end up with a shitty name?) and he didn't do that much stealing anymore, but that was it. But the moment I met him, my life was never the same again. So to properly start off this portion of my story, I'll begin by saying it all began on December 31, 2027.

0O0O0

Darkness was falling on Gotham. The snow looked beautiful in the bright streetlights. Snow was piled up on stoops and in people's hair, but they didn't care because a new year was coming. Didn't loose those twenty pounds like you promised yourself last year? Didn't stop cheating on your wife or girlfriend like you wrote down in your New Years Resolutions? Who cares! It's a new year! You can lie to yourself this year too! Of course, I didn't give a damn about New Years. This was a very sad day for me. This was the one year anniversary of Murray's death. In fact, the only reason I came to Gotham was to visit Murray's grave—legally this time. It was nearly midnight and I had spent the last three hours contemplating in front of his grave wondering what would have happened if things had gone differently. Now I was cold, my ass hurt from sitting too long, and since I had lost track of time, in a hurry.

I saw an alley up ahead and ducked into it. With any luck, I'd be home before the Ball, Gotham's version of the famous ball-dropping in New York, fell. I wasn't paying any attention to my surroundings and what was going on, which on any other day, would have gotten me killed. But luckily today was New Years Eve and every Joker within city limits was getting drunk and high off xenothium. I looked up, however, and cursed loudly. I walked into a dead end.

"My, my, my, what do we have hear?" A voice said in false sympathy. I whirled around to see two men blocking my way out. One was very tall and skinny. He had literally dirty blonde hair and a scraggly beard. The other was very fat and short, but still taller than me.

"Looks like a little lost bird." The fat one laughed. I smirked. I _was _longing for a good fight. The tall one began laughing too.

"Maybe we should _help _her." This, however, made the fat one nervous.

"What if she has a boyfriend nearby?" He asked. I thought of my boyfriend, Jesse, and quietly laughed to myself. I loved him, but he wasn't very good at taking out two wannabe rapist by himself.

"My boyfriend is in Jump City." I said lazily. I leaned against the back wall of the alley. The two smiled eagerly at each other. I slipped a hand up my blouse and pulled out a batarang, but didn't open it.

"So no one can stop us!" The tall one said with glee. I opened my mouth to disagree with him, but someone beat me to it.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, gentlemen."

"Who said that!?" The tall one demanded.

Suddenly, someone jumped off of the nearest building into the ally with grace. The two men paled. I felt my jaw drop open in shock. It was Red X—_the _Red X! I had never seen him before. He was maybe half an inch taller than me at least. Any weight he had was muscle. He was really skinny—almost scrawny if it wasn't for the little bit of muscles he had. His uniform was whiter than the snow the was falling all over Gotham and unlike the first two Red Xs, he didn't have a cape. I moved along the wall a little bit to see his mask. It was white like the uniform, but over the right eye there was a red X. There were two black eye holes, but they wouldn't let anyone see his eyes. The glass material looked so familiar to me, but I couldn't tell where. Maybe the Jokerz had stolen some at one point.

"Are you okay?" Red X asked me.

"Huh?" I said. I hadn't really paid attention to him—just his appearance.

"Did they hurt you?" Red X asked. I could detect concern in his voice, but not very much. I was probably just a damsel in distress to him.

"No, you know I—." I started, but the men interrupted me.

"Please don't hurt us, Mr. Red X, sir!" The tall one begged. The fat one could only blubber and stutter like an idiot.

"Get out of here." Red X said in disgust. "You two are pathetic." The two men ran away.

"I could have taken care of them myself." I said putting the batarang away. He looked at me.

"What's your name?" He asked me.

"Go Away. What's yours?" I growled. He laughed.

"You're a real cutie." He said grabbing my nose playfully. I pulled away.

"Get off me, bastard!" I snapped.

"That's not very polite." He chided.

"I'm not a polite girl!" I said stepping forward. With almost inhuman speed, he put an arm around me and pulled me close.

"You should be a little more thankful." He said seriously. "I just saved you from getting gang raped from a couple of wannabe Jokerz that were high on xenothium."

"Thank you," I said, "but I could have saved myself. You didn't have to waste your time."

"TEN!" People outside began to chant.

"Oh no," I moaned. "The damn ball!"

"NINE!"

"Oh really?" Red X said in a suggestive voice.

"EIGHT!"

"SEVEN!"

"SIX!"

"What are you doing?" I asked trying to pull away. Great, I was saved from getting gang raped by a couple of idiots by now my "savior" was going to rape me!

"Don't be afraid." He said playfully. With his free hand he pulled at the bottom of his mask and began to go upwards.

"FIVE!"

"FOUR!" He stopped pulling the mask up. I could see his pale skin underneath the shadows. It looked so soft, but probably warm like his touch.

"THREE!"

"TWO!" He pulled me even closer...

"ONE!" Just as the ball fell, Red X's lips touched mine. Fireworks went off somewhere outside the city, but they also went off in my head. My mind began to blur. My body that had been fighting him a few minutes before was now limp. To my surprise, I realized _I _was kissing _him_ too! Everything about his kiss and touch was different from my boyfriend's. Red X's kiss was gentle and loving; Jesse's kisses were short and a little rough. Red X's touch was soft and lingering; Jesse's was quick and often forced.

Finally, we broke apart. I couldn't say a word but, just from looking at his mouth as he pulled his mask down, I could tell Red X was pleased with himself. He had to be the cockiest bastard I had ever met. The way he spoke was in a cocky tone, the way he held himself was with a cocky way, I even believed that he kissed like a cocky person. But maybe I was just making that last part up.

"Well, I'd better get going." He sighed, "Catch you later, cutie."

"Hey!" I shouted as he disappeared into thin air. "I AM NOT CUTE!! WAIT, YES I—DAMMIT! I MEAN..._**DAMN YOU, RED X!!**_" I screamed into the night sky. I could have sworn I heard laughing from above. I sighed and ran off, realizing I was seriously late.

_0O0O0_

"_I AM NOT CUTE!! WAIT, YES I—DAMMIT!! I MEAN..." I heard her scream. _Come on, _I thought. "_**DAMN YOU, RED X!!**_" I couldn't help but laugh. I sat on the top of the building at watched her run off into the crowded street. Suddenly, I regretted not forcing her to tell me her name. I remembered he saying to one of __those idiots that she had a boyfriend. I felt sorry for the bastard—but also jealous. He probably didn't know how lucky he was. _

"_Boss." I looked up and to my right. It was one of the new initiates, but I couldn't remember his name. _

"_What?" I asked in a bored voice._

"_We're all done. You told us to get you—." _

"_Oh," I said, "Yeah. It's about damn time." I got up and looked at the New Years crowd, scanning for _her_ face or maybe just her raven hair. I couldn't. "Let's go." I said. _

0O0O0

I slipped into my "grandfather's" mansion without making any noise. Ace, Grandpa Bruce's dog, walked up to me and began licking my hand affectionately.

"Hey, boy." I whispered. "Everyone's asleep, huh?"

"Not everyone." I winced and looked up to see my father. "Where were you, Mari?"

"Long story."

"I've got time."

"I nearly got gang raped by a couple of X-heads," I said using the nickname for people who used xenothium, "Red X saved me, and the lip raped me." I pointed to my lips. "Happy?" I asked. I went upstairs, leaving my father speechless. I slipped through the halls like a ghost and entered my room silently. "Free at last." I sighed. Just then, I felt two arms quickly slip around my waist. "Oh not you again!" I moaned, thinking it was Red X.

"I love you too, Mari." Jesse laughed. I forced a smile. I didn't know why, but I felt slightly disappointed.

"I thought you were some asshole who gave me a hard time today."

"Really?" He said. "Poor thing." He bent forward and began planting kisses on my neck.

"Shouldn't you be spending New Years with your parents?" I asked.

"I did." He grunted, before returning to kissing me again. I rolled my eyes. Jesse was the son of the famous Kid Flash and Jinx, and was gifted with his father's power of super speed and his mother's power of jinxes. Unfortunately, he got screwed in the appearance area. He was a perfect copy of his father except for his pink eyes. I mean, his dad's pretty handsome, but what teenage boy in their right mind would want _pink_ eyes? Since we began TTNG, he also began letting his short red hair grow out.

"We have school tomorrow, don't we?"

"Depends on what you call tomorrow." Jesse said between kisses.

"Jesse James West," I growled. "If you leave a hickey on my neck, collarbone, or my chest again, I'll kill you. Or," I smiled evilly, "I'll show your mother and _she'll _kill you." He stopped kissing me. Despite the fact that Jen was slowly dying of Russo's disease, a disease she had gotten a few years before Jesse was born, Jen was not a person you wanted to piss off. Seriously. Jesse and Wally knew that from experience. Lots of experiences.

"Technically," He yawned, "we do have school tomorrow. Since it starts on January second."

Ever since we _almost_ beat Rose in June, Cat, Randy, and I wanted to return to public school. We had been home schooled before (except Randy and me who had been in public school. He got expelled, I got sent to jail and then moved to Jump City). Unfortunately, it took six months to get our paper work fixed so that we could be properly enrolled. Cat was excited, but Randy and I couldn't care less. We've been to school before, so we couldn't care less. Luckily for Randy, there were 2 high schools in Jump City, so he could go back to school.

Before I could stop him, Jesse pushed me against the door and began kissing my collarbone again. Slowly he began working his way down. I felt an unpleasant creeping sensation rack my whole body and I was reminded of Red X's gentle caresses. I shook my head to banish those thoughts and pushed Jesse away.

"Stop it." I said sternly. Jesse shot me a hurt look.

"Alright." He sighed, "I gotta get going."

"Bye." I said without any emotion. He left and leaned against the wall feeling unsatisfied.

**A/N: That is the first chapter of TTNG: Book 2! I'd like to thank my wonderful beta writer, Somewhere In Time, for helping me with this. **


	2. O n e

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans © Warner Bros. & DC Comics.**

O n e

I stepped onto the concrete sidewalk and gazed up at the school. It wasn't as fancy as the prep school Randy had gone to, but then again it was a lot better than the run down high school I had gone to back in Gotham. It certainly was a lot better than the home school Rachel had set up in the Ops Center.

I felt very grateful that this school, like my old school, did not require uniforms. I would rather die than wear a uniform that would point out all my bad qualities. Like my almost scrawny frame, my five foot four body, and my practically nonexistent breasts. Of course, at least I looked normal. Cat had green hair and Jesse had pink eyes. That was ridicule waiting to happen. If you don't remember, Cat (Catherine Arella Logan) was the daughter of Raven and Changeling and Randy (Randall Archibald Stone) was the son of Cyborg and Bumblebee. Just making sure you know.

"Mari," Jesse said, "Come on. I don't want to lose you so soon." He grabbed my arm and pulled me to a group of football players. I groaned loudly, but he ignored me. There was **_nothing_** I hated more than a bunch of damn retards throwing around a dead pig's skin around while causing extreme damage to one another. Unfortunately, my own boyfriend was one of those retards. God knows how with his scrawny frame. Then again, he was fast, so he probably wouldn't get hurt.

"Hey, John." Jesse greeted. John was Jesse's best friend. In June, when I was desperate to get Jesse away from Rose, I had gone on a date with John. Unfortunately for me, John was the biggest idiot on the face of the planet. And yet, he was called the model "All-American Boy".

"Hey, dude!" John gave Jesse a high five. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"Redson's back."

"What the hell?" Jesse spat. "I thought that he was getting kicked out for good?"

"I don't know?"

"Who's Redson?" I cut in. Jesse glanced over to me, remembering that Cat, Randy, and I were there too.

"Xavier Redson is the biggest asshole on the planet. He's been caught drinking on campus and he gets into fights all the time. They _were_ going to expel him, but I guess they changed their minds." He looked up and grimaced. "Oh shit!" Jesse groaned.

"What?" Cat asked.

"Don't look now, but he's coming over here." Jesse moaned. I looked up and saw three boys approach us.

"Hey, West." One of them called. He was one of the most good-looking guys I had ever seen. He had spiky dark gray hair that was close to black if you really squinted at it, but not _too spiky _like my father's back when he was Robin. His eyes were a beautiful shade of dark brown and had a cocky, mischievous gleam to them. He was a couple inches taller than me, maybe three or four inches at most. He wore very baggy dark blue jeans and a very baggy black sweatshirt. There was a cocky air about him and I hated it—but at the same time, I found it...sexy.

"Redson. I thought you got expelled." Jesse asked in annoyance. There was fire in his pink eyes, but Xavier either didn't notice or didn't care.

"My mom knows the superintendent pretty well. She got me off the hook." He said coolly. Then he saw Cat, Randy, and me. "Well, well, well." He said, a smile coming to his lips. "Who's this?" He looked at me with great interest.

"My name is Back-Off-Before-I-Kill-You." I growled. "And these are my friends, Go-Away, and Go-to-Hell."

"Feisty, aren't you?" Xavier laughed. "My name's X Redson."

"Why X?" I fired at him.

"Nosy too, isn't she, Tiny?" He asked one of his friends. He was a pretty big guy like the wannabe rapist back in Gotham, but this one had short brownish red hair and bright hazel eyes that send out the message "I'm a prick!" to everyone. Like someone else I knew.

"She sure is." He said, "I wouldn't waste my time with her, X."

"You do come off as a prick, X." Xavier's other friend admitted. He was shorter than me with dirty blonde hair and watery blue eyes. He had a long nose and oddly shaped ears. To be honest, he looked kinda like a human rat.

"Gee, thanks." Xavier said, rolling his eyes at them. Returning his gaze to me, he asked, "Seriously though, who are you?"

"Mari Grayson, I'm Jesse's girlfriend." I replied with pride. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my boyfriend smile. "These are my friends Cat Logan and Randy Stone."

"Shit, you're West's girlfriend?" Xavier said. "How the hell did you manage _that_, West? She's way too hot for you."

No one had said anything like that to me before. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mari Grayson." He took my hand and kissed it. I felt my cheeks burn slightly. Jesse's eyes flashed neon pink like they usually did when he was pissed off.

"Watch it, Redson." He growled.

"Bring it, West. You know how badly it'll scar your record if you get in a fight. You won't even be allowed on the _debate team_ when they get through with you." Xavier laughed. Jesse calmed down. His sports were way too important to him. Especially since he was still playing basketball this semester.

"Jess, John!" A boy called from the door of the school. "Coach wants to talk to you guys!" Jesse hesitated, looking at us.

"Mari, you guys are gonna have to fend for yourselves, okay?This'll probably take all of first and second period."

"I'll show 'em around."

I looked at Xavier with surprise. As did Jesse, John, and his own friends.

"Really?" Jesse asked in shock.

"I've got nothing better to do. Gimme your schedules." Xavier demanded. Cat, Randy, and I obeyed. "Okay then...Weasel, you have most of Cat's classes so you can show her around."

"Sure." The small boy, Weasel, replied.

"And Tiny, can you pretend you aren't an ass long enough to show Randy around?" Xavier asked.

"Why not." Tiny sighed. Jesse looked reluctant, but he didn't argue. Instead, he kissed my cheek and joined the boy and John at the door. I was relieved not to have him constantly over my shoulder...and yet I couldn't help but feel like I had been thrown to the wolves.

0O0O0

By lunch, Xavier and I were talking like old friends. He was the most interesting person I had met in Jump City since I moved here. We shared similar interests and hated the same things. It was also by that time that I decided that I would _never_ let anyone at my new school know who I really was. You see, at my old school, people hated Nightwing and thought that Starfire was weird because she came from a different planet. Since I was their daughter, I became an outcast and subject to their ridicule. At first, I just took it. But when I became a Joker, I fought back and got suspended quite a bit. I didn't want people making fun of me at my new school. I'd rather die before that happened. Luckily, I managed to corner Cat and Randy and told them I would give them the most severe beating they had ever experienced if they even _breathed _a word to anyone that we were the Titan's children. So, by lunchtime I wasn't known as "one of the new girls anymore" I was just known as "Flash's and Jinx's son's girlfriend", which was _quite_ as bad as "Nightwing's daughter".

"So," Xavier said sitting down at an empty table. "How do you like this cesspit?"

"Wow," I laughed, "You sure have school spirit."

"What can I say," He shrugged, "My dream is to burn this damn place down. Then maybe someone can build something useful."

"Like what?" I laughed, "A bar or a Hooters?"

"Hooters has good wings." He said. I put my head on the table and laughed harder than I had in a long time.

"Why does every guy say that?" I asked. Xavier smiled widely.

"Because it's true. Have you ever eaten there before?"

"Yes." I said reminiscing about when Murray, BJ, DJ, and I would go there after a mission to celebrate or just to meet up with Dane.

"Mari," Cat tapped my shoulder. "What are you doing here? I thought we were eating with Jesse?"

"Cat, sit." I said motioning to the seat next to me. "Or, you can go over there and stick straws up your nose like John." I pointed to John, who was truly sticking straws up his nose and clapping his hands like a seal. Cat sat quickly. Xavier shook his head.

"It's thanks to dumbasses like that that makes our school's GPA drop so bad." He sighed.

"And what's yours?" I asked.

"3.99." He fired back. "Yours?"

"4.0." I said. I knew Xavier wasn't stupid. Like Randy, Cat, and I, he and his own friends managed to skip a grade. We were all supposed to be sophmores. Even Jesse skipped a grade. Instead of being a junior, he was a senior.

Soon, Tiny, Weasel, and Randy joined us at the lunch table. To Cat's horror, Tiny pulled out a six pack and gave Xavier one. Xavier pulled one out of the pack and offered it to me. I thanked him and opened it. Since I had begun dating Jesse, stealing and drinking alcohol was harder since he was always hovering over me. Xavier offered one to Randy and Cat, but they refused.

"So, Xavier."

"X." He corrected.

"Xavier." I said.

"X."

"Xavier."

"X."

"Xavier."

"X, Dammit." He said. I could tell he was getting annoyed.

"Xavier." I said and thumped him on the forehead.

"Ow!" He put his hand on his forehead. "Damn bitch!" I don't know what came over me, but I took this moment to jump on him. I began tickling his sides.

"What's your name?" I taunted. "Huh? What's your name?"

"I'll kill you, Grayson." He threatened between laughs. Weasel watched with enjoyment, but Tiny glared at me while I tortured his friend. Cat and Randy could only watch in shock. They had never seen me like that—friendly, happy, laughing because I was happy. Then they smiled. Then Xavier's hands slipped to my sides and he began his revenge. "What now?" He demanded. "Huh, what now, bitch?"

"Stop, stop, stop!" I begged.

"Mari?!"

I looked up to see my boyfriend. He was, to put it lightly, shocked to see me and Xavier like that. Actually, shocked wasn't a good word. Horrified was better—much better.

"Hey Jess." I greeted.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked.

"Messin' around with Xavier." I replied lightly. Jesse winced and I glared at him. _'Pervert!'_ I screamed with my eyes.

"I'm not even going to say anything." Xavier replied in a tone that sounded like defeat.

"I thought you were going to sit with me." Jesse said calmly. I could see he was very annoyed, despite his calm tone and false smile.

"You know I hate those meatheads." I said in a similar voice.

"Those meatheads are my friends." He replied, an edge beginning to form in his voice.

"That doesn't mean they're mine. My friends are here." I argued hotly.

"Mari," Jesse said. His eyes sent out a look that said _'Please don't start—not here!'_

"Go back and eat with your friends." I ordered stubbornly. Jesse reached out to grab my arm, but Xavier grabbed his quickly.

"I think you need to clean out your ears, West." He said in a cold, low voice. His eyes were narrowed and he looked like he was about to lash out at Jesse. "She said she wanted to stay here. So leave her the hell alone." He and Jesse glared at each other for the longest time. Then Jesse jerked his arm free and grabbed my arm again. The second he did, Xavier jumped up. There was fire in his eyes and he looked like he was about ready to kill Jesse.

"Fine," I said. I shook my arm free of Jesse's grasp and got up. "I'll sit with you. Just stop acting like you're my warden." I started to walk away. "And Jesse, stop acting like a prick—it's annoying."

0O0O0

After school, I met up with Xavier. He was sitting on the stone wall that surrounded the steps to the school. He was looking off into the distance like he was in deep concentration.

"You didn't have to do that. At lunch, I mean." I told him. He didn't look at me.

"Why do you let him treat you like that? It was like you were his damn bitch." He said. I clenched my fists.

"I'm nobody's bitch!" I growled. He looked at me and laughed.

"You're something else, Mari." He said. "You win."

"What do you mean?" I asked. He jumped off the stone wall. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cat and Randy approach.

Xavier put his hands on my hips and pulled me close. The last guy who did that to me ended up with seven broken ribs, a smashed nose, and two black eyes (not to mention a ride to the hospital), but I didn't hit Xavier. I could easily see my reflection in those dark pools he called eyes. I felt my heart beat so hard in my chest it was a wonder he didn't hear it.

"You can call me Xavier. But only you." He murmured. He leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. To my surprise, I found myself kissing him back. At that moment, I completely forgot about Randy and Cat; I forgot Jesse was my boyfriend. All I wanted was to stand there with Xavier's arms wrapped around my waist for all eternity.

"Goodbye, Mari." He said when we broke apart.

"MARI?!" Cat screamed, and I turned to see her slender form running towards me, her green hair streaking along behind her like a flag, her eyes were on fire. She reminded me of a very pissed horse during wartime in the nineteenth century. "What the heck are you doing?!" She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. "You just cheated on your boyfriend!!" I looked back at Xavier, but he was gone. It was almost like he vanished into thin air, leaving only the bits of broken concrete and the cracked sidewalk behind.


	3. T w o

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans © Warner Bros. & DC Comics. TTNG and all characters you do not recognize © me.**

T w o

Xavier handed me a soda bottle and sat next to me on the stone wall adjacent to the park. I had resentfully forgiven him for kissing me earlier; only because he was the only person I could have a conversation with (besides Jen) without wanting to kill myself because the other person either didn't care about what I wanted to talk about, completely took over the conversation and wouldn't let me have a word in edgewise, or scolded me for "cussing too much". So Xavier was off the hook—for now anyways.

"How long is West going to let you out of his sight today?" He asked.

"He's not in control of how long I can stay out of the house, Xavier." I shrugged, a slight edge to my voice as a warning to him. He apparently didn't get the message.

"Right," he grinned.

"Don't be a smart-ass." I commanded. He gave me a goofy grin and pushed me affectionately.

"He's way too lucky." He sighed.

"Who, Jesse?" I asked.

"Yeah," Xavier yawned. "And the worse part is he doesn't even realize or appreciate it. Girls like you don't fall out of the woodwork everyday you know."

"And just what do you mean by 'girls like me?'" I asked in an argumentative tone.

"Pretty, smart, nice ass—." He ducked before I managed to hit him, "Should I continue?"

"No, and stop looking at my ass." I added in a defensive tone. I blushed and turned away. Xavier lightly laughed.

"Sorry." He apologized, but I doubt he really meant that.

"You're such an enigma!" I sighed.

"An enigma?" He asked with a cute look of confusion, like one a four year old would wear.

"A mystery." I defined.

"I know what it means," he said, "I've just never been called that before."

"Sorry," I apologized, "I'm used to defining everything I say because I'm forced to spend every waking moment with idiots."

"I know what you mean." He laughed. He yawned, somehow reminding me of a sleepy kitten. Which was weird because I knew perfectly

"Long night?" I asked with a surprisingly worried tone.

"Not long enough." He groaned. "Like the damn sun was up the second my head even _grazed_ the pillow."

I laughed.

"It's not fun—." He interrupted himself by yawning again. "Didn't help that I didn't take my meds last night." He stopped suddenly, like he had said something he shouldn't have.

"Meds?" I asked. "Like sleeping pills? My dad practically pops those at night."

"Yeah," He laughed uneasily, "I have really bad insomnia and when I _do _fall asleep, I can't for long because I'm such a light sleeper." I laughed along with him. Then something hit me. Where had I heard that before?

"_Jeez, MJ, this damn xenothium is givin' me insomnia or somethin'." _

I shook the thought out of my head. Despite popular belief, people in Jump City didn't use xenothium nearly as much as people in Gotham did. Besides, Xavier didn't seem like the person who needed to get a buzz off of lethal chemicals. Trust me, I knew those kinds of people.

"You look pretty tired yourself." Xavier noticed.

"I...stayed up all night studying for that pop test that Gonzalez is going to spring on us." I stopped, cursing myself for letting that slip. No one except Cat, Randy, and I knew about that because Cat had seen it in a vision.

"Shit, she's popping a test on us?" He moaned. "How'd you figure that out?"

"Um...Jesse goes over to Titans Tower and Raven saw it and told him." I lied swiftly. He snorted.

"You'd think she'd use her powers for something better than seeing when a high school pop test would be. It's thanks to the Titans that Jump City is such a shit hole. It's gotten even worse when Nightwing and his brood came back." He added bitterly. I felt an uneasy chill go up my spine. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I lied once more, "Just cold." At least that part wasn't a lie. I should have known better than to wear a light jacket out in January.

"I can fix that." Xavier pulled off part of his zip-up hoody and pulled me closer. He pulled my arm through the empty sleeve and zipped it up so that we could both benefit from its warmth. I was shocked to see that he was only wearing a black undershirt underneath it. "Better?"

"Yeah." I said graciously. "But aren't you cold? You're wearing even less than me."

"I actually don't get cold that easily. I'm used to it. You should see me in the summer. I still wear this thing twenty-four-seven." He laughed. I felt his arm slip around my waist. I scooted closer to him. It was comfortably warm and I didn't want to leave. I laid my head on Xavier's shoulder—just like I did with Murray when he was still alive—and surprisingly enough, Xavier laid his head on mine just like Murray did when he was alive. "You're so warm." He whispered into my ear.

"So are you." I replied quietly, drinking in his warmth and his gentle touch. I yawned and closed my eyes. I wasn't going to fall asleep. I was just going to sit here in the warmth until it was time to go to the Titan's meeting in twenty minutes.

0O0O0

As it turned out, I _did_ fall asleep. So did Xavier. So instead of getting to the meeting at noon like I was supposed to do, I got there at _five._ I was going to be in trouble—big time. When I got up, I unzipped the coat and laid Xavier on the wall since I didn't have time to wake him up. Then I ran nonstop seven blocks to Titans Tower.

"You're in trouble." Jen warned when I walked in. She lifted her head and looked at me. Her eyebrows rose gracefully. "Whose is that?" she asked. I looked down and groaned. I'd stolen Xavier's hoody by mistake.

"Xavier Redson's," I shrugged. Jen smiled somewhat smuggly. "What?" I asked.

"How come _you_ have it?" she asked with an odd knowing look. Again I shrugged.

"I got cold, so he shared it with me, we fell asleep and then when I realized what time it was, rushed home. I must have forgotten to pull it off when I left him." I said nonchalantly.

"Oh really." She said skeptically. Jen was practically a second mother to me. Hell, she pretty much _was_ my mother since mine didn't do such a great job. I sometimes swore that she was a mind-reader. But when I told her this, she said she could just read my facial expressions. Murray said the same thing when he was alive. That and I had a windshield for a forehead.

"How much trouble am I in?" I asked.

"A lot." She replied getting up from the hallway table she was sitting on. I swear, there was something wrong with that woman sometimes.

"Great." I moaned. I walked into the Ops Room.

"You are **_five_** hours late, Mari." My father growled.

"I fell asleep at the park." I said coolly.

"Why are you wearing Redson's jacket?" Jesse asked in both suspicion and disbelief.

"It's a long story." I groaned. I sat down between Wally and Vic and looked at my father. No doubt he hadn't even began the meeting because I wasn't there—and I was right.

"Now that _everyone_ is here, let's begin." He pointed a remote at the window/TV screen/computer monitor. A map came up. "We've had an anonymous call saying that Red X's son and a local gang..."

"The Xs." I interrupted. I was actually looking forward to fighting some Xs again. I wasn't really looking forward to seeing Red X again, however.

"Yes," Dad growled, angry he had been interrupted. "They'll be going to Warren's Jewelry as soon as it get's dark, which will be in ten minutes. We would have had more time to get prepared if you had hurried home sooner, Mari." He said.

"And," Wally added, "When he says 'we' he means 'you'."

"_WHAT?!_" I jumped off the couch. "And while we're doing your dirty work, what are you guys going to do? Sit home, watch TV and eat bonbons?" Randy snickered.

"Bonbons." He said. I gave him a dirty look that made him sober up immediately. Having Nightwing for a dad sometimes had benefits. Dad handed me the keys to the old T-Car.

"You'd better hurry." He said with an evil smile.

0O0O0

I dropped into the jewelry store and hid in the shadows. The rest of the team followed me dragging their feet and making rustling noises with their uniforms. I put my finger to my lips and frowned at them.

"You say a word and they'll be hell to pay!" I whispered. "From both the Xs and me!" That sobered their rustling and moving immediately. They knew that if we got caught, there would be hell to pay. I pulled at my "uniform" (black turtleneck, black pants, black boots, and a ski-mask with built in goggles and voice changer, to "protect my secret identity") with discomfort. The others did the same thing with theirs. I mouthed, 'Cover me' to Cat and ran through the shadows towards where I saw human sized silhouettes stirring eagerly.

"LOOK OUT!!" Randy suddenly shouted. I whirled around to yell at him, but no words left my mouth. Red X was standing in front of me with his arms crossed. If I could see his mouth, I knew there would be a cocky smirk on his lips.

_0O0O0_

_If I could see her eyes, I know that she would have had the "deer in headlights" expression. Her body was frozen, she didn't even twitch! But there was something about her that seemed so familiar. She was shorter than most girls and looked almost about __twenty or thirty pounds from being an anorexic. But then again, I really didn't know about eating disorders. I was a guy, what the hell did I care about eating disorders? Either way, I made a note to look up how much you had to weigh to be anorexic later. __When she did move, even though it wasn't much, it was gentle and gracefully like one of those ballet dancers that Emma watched on Christmas Eve._

"_Hey, cutie." I said. Her body jerked a little bit._

"_Back off." She growled. Damn, she had a voice changer. Even with the voice changer, I could feel the venom in her voice. I teleported behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. I felt my heart drop__;__I could almost feel her rib bones! Damn, didn't Nightwing feed his own kid? She froze as if I was about to kill her. Like if she moved, she would die. _

"_You're too serious, baby." I purred into her ear. I looked up without moving my head. The rest of the Xs were still looting the place. The rest of the TTNG were watching in, I guess, horror that I __was touching their leader like that. West, or the one I thought was West, folded his arm and seemed to be shooting daggers into my back. Strange, didn't he _have _a girlfriend? Then again, he seemed like the type that would two-time a girl._

_Suddenly, Nightwing's daughter moved quickly trying to break free. I quickly pressed a vein on her neck and she fell limp in my arms. I silently thanked my father for teaching me how to temporarily paralyze a superhuman and steal their powers. By the time she could move, she'd be powerless for about two hours. Easy prey._

"_Now, now," I sai__d__with a smirk that could, no doubt, be heard in my voice, "must we be so difficult?"_

"_Get your dirty hands off her." Yep, that was West. I snapped my finge__rs. The Xs I had hidden in the shadows before came out and held onto the TTNG long enough to tie them to three columns with ropes laced with xenothium. They weren't__ getting out, powers or no powers. It was funny seeing them pull at their binds. Almost like the cats I used to torture w__hen I was younger. I laid the paralyzed girl that was in my arms on the floor. If I played my cards right, she would be back in my arms before she could move again. I lifted her mask up to her nose and lifted mine up to the same place. I leaned down, watching the TTNG and her at the same time and kissed her. I didn't know why I kissed her, but it felt good. However, there was something...familiar about those lips. Unfortunately, I lost track of time and she regained control of her body. She flipped over on top of me and replaced her mask. I flipped her over and managed to fix mine. _

"_Boss," I heard someone call. Billy, a new X, tossed down the amulet my father had wanted. I wanted to kill him. Didn't the asshole see that I was busy! Nightwing's daughter jumped up and grabbed it. _

"_You want this don't you?" She asked. The voice changer wasn't positioned right and wasn't changing her voice as well as it did before. I jumped up to gra__b the amulet, but she was already racing down the hall towards the staircase that led to the roof._

_0O0O0_

I ran down the hall like an Olympic athlete. I could hear Red X behind me so I ran faster. I went up the staircase and slammed the door in Red X's face. When I turned around, however, he was already on the roof.

"Hand it over." He commanded. I pulled at my turtleneck and dropped the amulet down my bra. "Like that's really going to help you." He laughed bitterly. I moved cautiously away. When I saw that I was near the plank-like cement ledge, I got an idea. I jumped on it and balanced my body. I did a cartwheel like summersault to get to the edge. "No!" He almost whispered. I moved so that my back was to the edge and I was facing him.

"One false move and I'll jump." I swore. He got on the ledge and held out his hand.

"Don't do this." He said, "Come on, I'll help you down. We can work something out." Like a fool, I handed Red X my hand. He pulled me forward and stuck his hand down my shirt and grabbed the amulet. Then, he pushed me against the ledge. "Stupid bitch." He laughed and shoved me off the edge.

I consider the fact that Wally caught me to be either a blessing or a curse. My father and Vic had gone in to free the rest of my team and Wally and the others stayed behind to make sure "no one tried anything stupid". When Dad got out he frowned.

"You let them get away." He growled.

"And you let them get the amulet." Cat pouted.

"On the contrary, my feline friend," I reached into my bra and pulled out the real amulet. "Red X stole the fake amulet Mom bought me at the mall. The idiot didn't realize he took it off my neck." I glanced up and saw Red X, but when I tried to get a better look, he was gone.

**A/N: There you guys go, a new chapter! As always, thanks to Somewhere In Time for beta reading! **


	4. T h r e e

Disclaimer: Teen Titans © Warner Bros. & DC Comics

T h r e e

Xavier wasn't in school the next day. No one, not even Tiny or Weasel, seemed to notice or care. So, instead of hanging out with Cat and Randy, I hung out with Weasel.

"Hey, Weasel?" I asked quietly.

"Hm?" The boy replied. We were sitting at our usual table during lunch.

"Why does everyone call you Weasel?" I asked.

"Because I look like a weasel." he said wrinkling up his nose. I laughed.

"I'm serious." I giggled.

"So am I." He said. "You see, my parents were big important scientists working on splicing. When I was a baby, they always let me stay in their lab. But..." He sighed. "One day, there was something wrong with the machine. It exploded and killed my parents, but kinda...deformed me. An aunt that I never met and never knew I existed had to take me in, and then put me up for adoption when I was three. This lady who also worked in splicing, a receptionist, took me in and I've lived with her ever since."

"That's great." I said.

"Not really," Weasel sighed. "When you look like me, you get picked on a lot. I was always made fun of and tortured by the other kids." He laughed. "One day, these kids were gonna give me a swirly in the boys room when this kid stepped in for me. It was funny because he said that he could kick their asses without even touching them."

"Why was it so funny?" I asked.

"These guys were big and beefy and this kid was small and scrawny with clothes that were way too big for him. So they started running at him from both ways and right before they got him, he vanished. Poof! Without a trace. The guys ran right into each other."

"So you didn't get the swirly." I smiled.

"No," he said, "Actually, we both did. Ever since then, we've been best friends. A couple years later we met Tiny and the rest is history."

"Whoa, wait a second." I gasped. "The kid that tried to save you was..._Xavier_?"

"He's not as bad as he looks, Mari." He said. "He's...had it rough."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You didn't know?" Weasel asked in surprise.

"Know what?"

"He has XODD." He said. Then he realized that maybe I didn't know for a reason. "Oh shit!" He got up and ran out of the lunchroom.

After I tracked down Weasel and calmed him down from his panic (he was _really _loyal to Xavier and didn't mean to slip up like that), I managed to learn that the only reason Xavier had XODD was because of his father, not because he took xenothium (he didn't). But that was all he told me. You see, Weasel was a rare breed in our time. He believed that Xavier himself should tell what most people thought was perfect gossip material. So, he called Xavier's cell phone to confess that he blabbed to me about his...condition. Unfortunately for poor Weasel, Xavier was already in a bad mood because apparently he had been sleeping when Weasel called.

"Uh...X? You didn't tell Mari you had XODD did you?" He said. "Well, I was asking because...yeah, she knows." I could hear Xavier cursing even from a foot away.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

"Here, you talk to him, I gotta go get Tiny." Weasel moaned. I took the cellphone.

"Hello," I piped.

"I can't believe he told you." Xavier moaned loudly.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me. I think it would have been much easier." I replied softly.

"I'm surprised your boyfriend didn't tell you, I mean the entire school knows." He sighed.

"So, you had a seizer this morning and you couldn't have gone to school?" I guessed.

"Actually, I had one late last night and I still hadn't recovered by the time I had to leave. I miss school all the time actually." He laughed.

"So you can teleport?" I guessed.

"Yes. I also have unusually great senses of sight, smell, and hearing. The hearing causes the insomnia." Before I could ask him about it, he clarified himself. "My hearing is so good, I can hear a pin drop—literally. It gets so bad, I can't sleep at night because every little noise keeps me up." He laughed. It seemed like a relieving joke to him now. "Any other questions?"

"Is that why your hair is almost gray?"

"It _is_ gray." He said. Then he seemed to get a random whim. "Hang on, let me get dressed and I'll sneak over there...unless..."

"Unless?"

"Meet me in the janitor's closet in the freshman hall and I'll show you how I skip class. Our secret. No boyfriend, no Cat, no Randy, no Weasel and definitely no Tiny." He said firmly. I knew he said that just so he could convince me to say yes.

"Alright." I smiled. "I'd love to."

"I'll be there in ten minutes," he promised and hung up. Weasel came back without Tiny.

"Here." I handed him his phone back. "Xavier said he wants me to skip class with him."

"Freshman janitor's closet?" He asked knowingly. I nodded. He rolled his eyes, but gave me a smile . "Have fun." He disappeared into the crowd of students that just filed out of the lunchroom. I merged into a group going to the Freshman hall and barely managed to avoid Cat and Jesse who were waiting for me outside the lunchroom.

I opened the closet door and slipped in without making a sound. I sat down the floor and pulled out my mp3 player. I turned it on and started listening. About three songs later, someone tapped my shoulder. I looked up to see Xavier's twinkling dark brown eyes. I turned my mp3 player off and grinned at him.

"Hey there." He said.

"Howdy." I smiled. I yawned involuntarily.

"Rough night?" he asked, holding out a hand for me.

"I could ask you the same thing." He looked exhausted, like he had been out all night long. His eyes were bloodshot and had deep bags underneath them. His hair was disheveled and his clothes were slightly rumpled. "You look like you're dressed to impress." I joked.

"Oh, you've known me long enough to where I don't think I need to dress up to please you anymore." He smiled. I gave him my hand.

"You dressed up to impress me?" I asked. He pulled me up. God, he had a great smile.

"Maybe." he said in a sing-song voice. He didn't let go of my hand. "Are you ready?" I could detect the nervousness in his voice.

"Yes." I replied.

"Are you sure?" He said. He tightened his grip on my hand. "The first time is pretty rough."

"Don't worry." I said.

He wasn't kidding. He went without warning and before I knew it, my vision was severly blurred, my stomach tightened in knots, and I literally felt my molecules ripping apart. But oddly enough, it wasn't painful. It sent a high through my nerves and veins. I loved that feeling.

When I finally got my bearings straight, I instantly recognized the mall. Xavier looked at me and laughed.

"Don't worry, the incoherency won't last long. By your...tenth time it won't affect you at all." He assured me. We walked to the food court and sat down at an empty table. The knowledge that this was my mother's playground left me.

"How long have you had XODD?" I asked, anxious to get the details.

"Ever since I was a baby." he said sadly, with a distant look in his eyes. "My dad gave it to my mother and she got pregnant with me. She lasted two months after I was born and died. Dear old dad dumped me off in an orphanage...I dunno, maybe a week later?" He said. "I was there for six months. No one wanted the kid that was still miraculously alive, even though he had XODD. "

"How _did_ you survive so long?" I asked incredously. There was absolutely no record of _**anyone**_ born with XODD that survived no longer than three months _with_ xenothium shots. They were lucky to last three weeks without them. Xavier smiled sadly. He reached into one of his pants pockets and pulled out six large pill bottles and eight syringes.

"These are just the pain pills." He said. "The others are back home."

"Good God." I whispered, my eyes still fixed on the pill bottles. "So, what happened next?"

"God, you want to hear my life's story?" He laughed in amazement.

"I'm just waiting to hear about when your smug ass got shoved into the toilet—head first." I grinned. That, surprisingly, made him happy. He laughed again. It was a nice sound. It reminded me of Murray's laugh, maybe Wally's. Both of them had easygoing,unforced laughs. Jesse's was like his mother's when she was in a bad mood: hard, cold, and bitter. Sometimes it was warm, but not lately. Not around me. Xavier's was a happy, easygoing one and calmed the last bit of guilt in my mind about skipping class.

"Fine then." He said it lightly, as if it wasn't all that important. He was the first boy I had ever met that didn't really like talking about himself so freely.

"I was about eight months old when this woman, Emma Berkley, came in with her ridiculously wealthy parents. They wanted her to adopt a little girl, a toddler naturally, so that it would make her look good for the press. But..." He paused and smiled, but the smile wasn't meant for me; it was one of reminiscence.

"She didn't pick one out. Out of sixty kids in that orphange, fifty nine of those who had a ninety-nine percent chance of live past childhood, she picked me. I wasn't even allowed out of this small room because they thought that I would uh...what's the word...contaminate." He said. "They thought I would contaminate the other children. Her parents were so pissed off with her. She was just begging for trouble, they warned her. But she didn't care. So, they disowned her."

"No!" I gasped, totally spellbound in his story.

"Don't worry." He assured me. "She got them in the end. You know that hair salon on fifth avenue? Poil?"

"My mother practically lives there." I said, hoping he didn't hear the slight annoyance in my voice.

"My...mother, if you want to call her that, owns it." He revealed. I felt my eyebrows raise. "I'm serious," He swore. "I help out there during vacations, pro bono."

"For free?"

"I don't worry about cash." He said mysteriously.

"Mariander!" Shit.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! I glanced over to see my mother drag _Jen_ of all people towards us. Jen, my _boyfriend_'s mother. _**Jen**_, the only person who hadn't moved away or _died _that could read me like a book. SHIT!

"I am so dead." I moaned. Xavier slipped his hand into mine, luckily the one they couldn't see.

"First time skipping?" He asked.

"First time skipping in Jump City." I said. "First time skipping and getting caught by my mother."

It was obvious what had happened. Mom got bored of shopping alone. Rachel had a doctor's appointment, Karen was at work, and no man in his right mind would want to go shopping with her. Jen was alone, like usual, and my mother had finally worn her down.

"You're skipping." Jen said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement, like "It's raining" or "My husband, Wally, is an idiot, but I'm stuck with him." Hm, actually, that last one was a realization.

"We weren't doing nothing new after 'break'," I said. "The rest of the day is review."

"It still goes on your record, Mari. The school's already called your father."

"Shit." I moaned. Jen smacked my head. She swore she was going to stop my cussing once and for all. I saw Xavier smirk. Then Jen pulled something out of her bag.

"I was gonna get your mother to drop this off at your school later, but apparently, you won't be there." She said. It was Xavier's hoody. I took it in my hand and felt the soft material. I didn't want to give it up to him just yet.

"You are a hypocrite, Jennifer." I said, "You skipped school all the time back in the HIVE. You told me so yourself."

"But you aren't me and, like your father has said before, I'm responsible for you." She said. That stung...badly. A few years back, I was dumped off with Jen and Wally while Jesse was at some summer camp. "_She's your problem now, Jen_." He had said. Of course, he came back for me, but it still hurt. And people wonder why I liked Shadow and Wally more than him.

"Just think about it." Jen said. She knew she had struck a nerve and decided to leave me alone for now.

"Who is this?" My mother asked looking at Xavier with great interest.

"X Redson." Xavier said. Jen shot me a knowing grin. I blushed, but neither my mother nor Xavier noticed.

"X is short for Xavier, yes?" She asked. Xavier nodded in surprise. My mother never seemed so blunt before. Then I saw it. The spark in her eyes. The soft, small glimmer of hope. Maybe she was thinking about her Xavier, the man she dated when she wasn't dating my father back in the glory days. She never spoke of him much, but when she did, she sounded like she had really loved him. Suddenly, Jen's cell phone went off. Then Xavier's cell phone went off. Both hurriedly checked their text messages.

"Wally came home early and noticed that I wasn't there." Jinx sighed. "Come on, Kori, before he calls an ambulance—again!" She hissed angrily.

"I gotta get going too, Mari." Xavier said gently taking his jacket from me. "Want me to drop you off at your place?"

"No," I said quickly, despite the fact that I hated the mall, I hated the idea of him finding out I was Nightwing's daughter even less. "I need to get some stuff before I head back. I'll see you tomorrow, okay." He nodded and waved, then disappeared into thin air. Then I realized something: I still never got to hear how he got that swirly.

0O0O0

I adjusted the mask over my face and walked in.

"_You're late, son." My father said. His new apprentice, Ravager (aka Rose Wilson), sat on a rather large stack of crates swinging her legs like a child. She was West's last girlfriend until some girl came and broke them up. I didn't hear the nitty-gritty details, but now I hear he had a new girlfriend, Mari Grayson, Dick Grayson's daughter. But I didn't care about the Titans and their love life. I didn't care about Dick Grayson. I had seen Mari Grayson before, kissed her velvety lips, rescued her from rapists, but I didn't care about her either. At least, that was what I told people. What can I say? There's something sexy about damsels-in-distress that were in denial. I wanted to see her again. Ever since New Years, I had been sneaking into her room. I didn't know where she lived, which was pretty stupid on my part, but I didn't care. She was a heavy sleeper so I could talk to her and hold her. Once I went to her room in civilian clothes and laid down next to her. She woke up, but it was so dark, she thought I was Jesse. That worried me a little bit. What was he doing in her room so late?_

"_X!"_

"_Red X," I snapped at Rose. "Don't abbreviate my name, you lazy bitch!" My father didn't care, he liked that we fought. Something about keeping us on our toes. He asked me about the girl I was with. I lied and said her name was Angela Wong, a Chinese foreign exchange student who went to the prep school across town. In a week, I'll tell him she moved or committed suicide. Then again, maybe he wouldn't look her up. After all, I've had countless girlfriends. He'd have to get bored eventually._

"_Have you tried getting the amulet back yet?" He asked._

"_Nope." I replied. Even with _his _mask on, I could tell he was frowning. Rose let out a sigh._

"_That necklace had xenothium in it—the good stuff!" She exclaimed. "If our master plan is going to work, we need that amulet!"_

"_Nightwing's daughter has it." I shrugged. I remembered plunging my hand down her shirt to get it back, only to get some cheap knock-off. The girl had style, I would admit. Joker style, but style just the same._

"_I have a feeling she's going to be like her father and get in our way." Dad muttered._

"_Of course," Rose said. "Look what she did in June! It would have gone smoother if I had had some _help_!" She glared at me._

"_Hey," I said defensively, "I didn't even _meet _you until early August. Don't ride my ass!" I pulled up my mask and pulled out my cigarettes. I lit one and stuck it in my mouth. Sweet nicotine. My father, naturally, said nothing. I've been smoking and drinking since I was eight, undetected, almost, by any other adults, an__d he never said a thing about it. He was the one who gave me my first whiskey, my first lighter, and my first pack of Marlboros. _

"_That is why my son_ _is_ _here," He was telling Rose patiently, like a father. The stupid bitch. Her father was killed by Nightwing shortly after she was born, so she stole mine. Whatever. I didn't really care. _

"_All he does is stuff __for the stupid Xs!" Rose shouted. With lighting fast reflexes I jumped at her and knocked her on the floor. I put my bo-staff at her neck and began chocking her._

"_Take it back." I warned. My cigarette was on the floor, forgotten. "Take. It. Back." _

"_Fine!" She gasped. The idiotic girl forgot she had geocentric powers! How pathetic! "Smoking is a filthy __habit you know! It's a wonder your teeth aren't yellow!"_

"_And it's also a wonder I don't have liver problems, but you don't see me going to AA meetings do you, you dumb bitch." I muttered the last part. I turned back to my father. "So what's your plan."_

"_Simple." He said. "Kill Nightwing's daughter."_


	5. F o u r

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans © Warner Bros. & DC Comics. TTNG and all other characters you do not recognize © me.**

F o u r

It was days like this that really made me love Jesse. When he remembered that we were more than just Mari Grayson and Jesse West, high school students, and Mari and Jesse, teenage superheroes—the daughter of Nightwing and Starfire and the son of Flash and Jinx. When were just Mari and Jesse, teenagers and lovebirds as Cat called us. I loved it when we went to the small island near the Tower and just stayed there until the sun came down. Just the two of us. I didn't bother him about his meathead friends and he didn't bother me about Xavier. There were no cellphones, no iPods, no Sansa mp3 players, and no communicators. We were completely cut off from the outside world. Though, it probably would have been a better idea if we had remembered to bring a blanket since it was _January_ and all.

"What was Karen yelling about when we left?" I asked. I snuggled closer to Xavier's sweatshirt, which I had stolen yet again.

"I dunno." He shrugged. He snuggled closer to me. "Something about a computer."

"Maybe she found Randy's anime porn collection." I quipped. Jesse chuckled and kissed my forehead.

"Ugh, you smell like him." He complained. He didn't have to tell me whom. I took a deep whiff of the sweatshirt.

"Personally, I like his cologne better than yours. It's the same kind Murray used." I reminisced. Jesse opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind.

"Is it just me or does Red X remind me of Redson?" He said suddenly.

"It's just you." I said. I frowned as I remembered something. "That's the second time he kissed me."

"He kissed you before?" Jesse asked in shock. I quickly explained to him about the incident at New Years.

"Don't worry about it." I assured him. "Cocky, rude, and spandex wearing are not things I am attracted to. Besides, I have you." I kissed his lips. "And besides, he probably does that to every girl he meets."

"Probably," Jesse snorted. Then he kissed me back. I laced my fingers in his until he pulled his hands away so he could wrap his arms around my waist. He deepened our kisses and all was right with the world.

0O0O0

"Didn't you take your communicators?" Jen demanded that evening when we returned.

"Mom," Jesse laughed, "relax."

"Don't 'Mom, relax' me, young man!" Jen growled.

"What's up?" I asked. I had never seen Jen look so...upset. No, that wasn't the right word. Frightened, worried, something along those lines. She handed us a piece of paper.

"Karen found this on the Internet when you guys left." She said softly. Jesse moved closer to me so we could read it.

_Reward_

_50,000 Reward for the capture and murder of Nightwing's daugter._

_If interested, bring her body to the X's warehouse and see Red X, Crimson Death, and Ravager._

So, that was who Rose was working with. Crimson Death: the old Red X. They wanted me dead, huh? Hm…I stole the amulet from Red X, I stole Rose's boyfriend, but what did I do to Crimson Death to make him want to kill me? Then again, what did I do to make anyone who had a bounty on my head (the Jokerz and 99 of Xs) hate me? Well, actually, I knew why the Xs hated me. After all, I was MJ Gray. I had been a thorn in their side ever since they got their new leader after Dane killed their old one in the Raid.

"Mari!" Jen shook my shoulders, bringing me out of my daze. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." I laughed. "So, I have a bounty on my head, huh?"

"You aren't the least bit concerned, are you?" Jesse asked in amazement.

"Why? What's Red X going to do, snipe me?" I meant it as a joke, but Jesse's pink eyes widened in horror and Jen looked like she was about to relapse. "Tough crowd." I muttered. Karen, Randy, Cat, and my father came out of the Ops Room. Actually, my father walked out of the Ops Room, Karen and the others raced out of it.

"Did you see?" Cat shrieked hysterically. "Red X wants to kill you!"

"Rose too!" Randy gasped.

"Who's Crimson Death?" Karen pondered.

"Red X's father, the Red X from your guys' time." I explained. The room was filled with blank faces. "I thought everyone knew that."

"I didn't." Everyone said simultaneously. I rolled my eyes. Maybe it was just a Joker thing. I suddenly cringed inwardly. Even over a year later, I still thought of myself as a Joker. How disgusting.

"You're staying home until we have this...problem taken care of." Dad said suddenly.

"_**WHAT?!**_" I gasped. "How can you say that? The TTNG needs me! I'm their leader! Wh-what about school, what about my life? You can't expect me to stay home all the time like..." I stopped suddenly and everyone but my father seemed very uncomfortable. Especially Wally, who had come in with the other Titans (Vic, Rachel, and Gar) when he heard me scream.

"Go ahead and say it." Jen growled. She wasn't mad at me for saying it. She was mad at her husband, her warden.

"Sorry." I said softly.

"Don't worry, Mari." Vic said with forced cheerfulness. "You might not be safe as the TTNG's leader, but you can still go out as Mari Grayson."

Rachel nodded. "He's right."

"Bumgorf," My mother said. I hadn't realized she was there until she had spoken. "You can still go to the place of learning, and you can go to the mall of shopping with X, and you can still participate in a normal lifestyle."

"You're always complaining about how you never get to do normal stuff because of the team." Cat said happily. "Besides, if we have to, we'll have you on our radio system and you'll tell us everything we have to do...like Oracle!"

Oracle was a character in a movie Barbara Gordon was in when she was younger, before Dad killed Slade. She was a crippled, yet very beautiful, woman whose life was ruined when the Joker put her in the wheelchair. Then she put a ragtag team of troubled women together and they saved the world! Everyone loved it, but I literally vomited when I had to watch it with Mom and Dad when I was younger.

"Yeah," I grumbled. "I'll be like Barbara Gordon. Watch me as I get multiple breast implants and face lifts before I go sleep with your boyfriend or husband."

Cat snorted. The other Titans snickered, but my father frowned dangerously.

"Watch it, Mari." He growled.

"Yeah, yeah." I sighed.

While the TTNG and the Titans left to go find leads for 'the Red X thing', as Cat called it, I watched Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street for the seventeenth time with Jen. Then The Messengers for the eighteenth time, and Twilight for the ninth time. Right before we both decided to call it a night, we watched Domino, my favorite movie of all time, starring Keira Knightly, for the twenty-fifth time. Later, as I lay awake on my bed, I realized that this was what Jen did _all the time_. Man, her life sucked!

0O0O0

The following Monday, Red X snuck into our school and lit the music room on fire and successfully burned down 1/14 of the school. So, school was canceled for the next two weeks. That meant I could either watch Sweeney Todd with Jen and Wally and hear Wally worry over her...again, or I could hang out with Xavier. Hm, what a difficult decision—not.

"_The worst pies in London!_" Tiny started singing. I looked him like he was crazy. The other people in the food court did too.

"What is wrong with him?" I asked Xavier, who was oddly pale that day. He leaned on the table and took a long drink of his soda.

"I told him what you told me last night about watching Sweeney Todd. Dude, your tone deaf." He aimed the last part at his truly tone deaf fan.

"I'm a superstar." Tiny said in a singsong voice. I snorted, secretly frightened that he would break out in song again.

"Yeah, sure. Like Barbara Gordon in _Oracle_."

"I hate that damn movie." Tiny said.

"Wow, we finally agree on something." I gasped in fake astonishment. "My father's mistress stars in that damn movie."

"I'm sorry." Xavier said in honest. Suddenly, he groaned and wrapped both arms around his lower stomach.

"Are you alright?" I asked worriedly.

"I'll live." He said softly. Weasel sighed irritably and reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pill bottle. He opened it and took out a small blue pill.

"Here." He said shoving the pill at Xavier. "Dude, wear a fanny pack and take your meds around with you or something. I'm not your damn nurse."

"I'll wear a fanny pack when Hell freezes over." Xavier quipped. Weasel took out several more pill bottles and some syringes and pushed them towards Xavier.

"I'm serious, dude. I'm not carrying your pills anymore."

"Aw come on!" Xavier moaned. "I don't have enough room in these jeans for them!" He drank some soda and took the pill in his hand.

"I'll carry them around," I said. I was wearing some old baggy Tripp pants of BJ's so I had room to spare. I got up and gently put the pill bottles in one pocket, and the plastic syringes in another.

"You know that now he's your responsibility, right?" Weasel asked.

"Why not." I shrugged. Xavier grinned at me. "I don't do spoon feeding though, and I don't change diapers." The boys laughed.

"You don't have to worry about that." Xavier said. He told me to take out the medicine again and showed me what he took and when he took them in case he had a seizure. Turns out that the medicine in the syringes was actually a high-powered morphine. I actually felt a little nervous. I had never really taken care of a sick person before. And believe it or not, XODD seizures were pretty scary. It was so weird that Tiny and Weasel weren't concerned at all. Then again, they knew Xavier much longer than I did and knew how to take care of him. I didn't.

I remembered how Jokerz with XODD usually acted. They were always miserable when they weren't on xenothium. They were pessimistic and even cried when they realized what they had done. Dane simply convinced them to use more xenothium. But Xavier wasn't like that. He never complained to me—not once. He even tried to _hide _his seizures from me. As it turned out, he really did complain about his illness...a lot. But it was to Weasel and Tiny, not me. He didn't want me to be bothered by it, which was pretty sweet.

"When am I getting my shirt back?" Xavier asked. I grinned.

"Never." I said, hugging it close to my body. He rolled his eyes.

"If I get pneumonia, it'll be your fault." He warned.

"You have ten other black sweatshirts in your closet." Weasel contradicted. "You just wanted to show off for Mari." It was funny seeing Xavier's cocky, arrogant air take a bruising, and his usually pale face turn blood red. But I didn't say a word. I just sat back and watched him, Weasel, and Tiny argue with each other. The entire time my mind was in a small state of shock.

'_So,_' I thought, '_this is what it's like to be completely normal_.' For the first time in my life, I wasn't Mariander Jean Grayson, the quiet outcast whom had no friends except other superpowered "freaks", the daughter of an murderer and an alien; I wasn't MJ Gray, the Jokerz' best thief; I wasn't Nightwing's Daughter, superhero and leader of the TTNG. I was Mari Grayson, normal teenager. And I loved every second of it.

0O0O0

The next day, Xavier managed to get me to go to the Rec Center's indoor pool. I thought it was kind of weird that all of them wore undershirts with their swim trunks, but then again, I was the one wearing Jesse's too-big jeans and Xavier's sweatshirt over my two-piece. Because of the scar on my back, I never went swimming in public unless I had a one-piece—the very same one my mother threw out while I was in juvie and replaced with a two-piece that could _almost _be called a bikini. Almost.

"You're going to go swimming in jeans and my hoody?" Xavier laughed.

"No, my dear Mr. Redson," I said, "I'm going to watch _you_ swim. I'm not getting out of this chair." I said plopping down on a plastic beach chair. I pulled out one of DJ's gooey, almost X-rated romance books that I had stolen from her and began reading. Suddenly, the book was pulled from my hands. Xavier gently placed it back in my bag and straddled my body.

"I have a black belt in karate, judo, and other forms of martial arts." I warned with wide eyes. He laughed and placed his lips on my nose. He grabbed the zipper of the hoody and began to pull it down. Oh, thank God the top of that damned swimsuit covered the scar between my breasts! He pulled the hoody off me and threw it aside. Then I cursed Jesse's hips for being wider than mine as that damned Xavier pulled the jeans off me.

"Baby," he said, "you look pretty damn good in a two piece." I felt my face burn scarlet. He took that moment to scoop me up into his arms. "Geez, Grayson. How much do you weigh, ten pounds? I could probably throw you, real easy too. In fact..."

"D-don't you da—." Before I could finish my threat, he tossed me into the deep end.

He and Tiny were still laughing when I surfaced, my hair covering my face, now redder than it was before. I tried to calm myself. I didn't want my eyes to turn neon blue. I was normal now. That kind of thing didn't happen to normal girls. I was thankful the pool was heated or I would be really pissed.

"Not cool, X." Weasel said scornfully. Without thinking, I pulled myself out of the water, my back to the boys. Then realization hit me as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over me. When I turned around and looked at the boys again, their expressions were all of shock. Damn it.


	6. F i v e

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans © Warner Bros. & DC Comics.**

F i v e

_Present Day: 2038_

_Honestly, I think it was rather stupid to put me in a room with someone I went to collage with. Cassandra "Cassie" Sandmark and I were good friends since my sophmore year at UJC, University of Jump City. We hadn't seen or heard much from each other since graduation, but that didn't change anything. _

"_How's Xavier doing?" She asked. We were taking a break from the interrogation and she was allowed to be Cassie for a little while._

"_Good," I smiled tiredly._

"_What about DJ?"_

"_She's great, actually." I replied. "Well, she's great if you don't count the fact that you are taking her children away from her and you guys are accusing her of murder."_

"_Sorry." She apologized. "But I can't anything about the charge."_

"_Can you give DJ back__Abby and Gabby?" I begged. "Can you give me back Elizabeth? You had no right taking them away with us. My father is the criminal, not me."_

"_I'll do what I can." She promised. Then Cassie was gone, and Detective Sandmark returned. "What can you tell me about Xavier Redson?"_

"_What do you want to know?" I asked with a sly grin. She tried to frown, but even in the dim interrogation room lights, I could see the shadow of her smile. "Come on, Cas." I laughed. "You've met him."_

"_Yes, but that isn't going to help you any, Mar." She frowned._

"_Fine." I shrugged._

"_What happened after he saw your scar?" Cassandra nudged verbally. I hid my smile. It seems my father isn't the only one with good friends in high places, such as in the police force._

"_He accused Jesse of being the one that gave me that scar. I had to tell him my father did it. But I couldn't tell him everything else...I wanted to tell him every last detail of my past, Cas—Detective." I corrected myself. "I wanted to be one hundred percent honest with _someone_for once in my life. Like Xavier...or so I thought."_

"_Then what happened?" She asked scribbling on her legal pad in blue ink, then red. God, that woman was obsessed with blue and red ink pens._

"_I called Jesse and went home." I explained. "Before I left, I had to promise Xavier I would meet him at a party that Friday night. Jesse wasn't going to let me, even though it was hosted by football players. As you know," I smiled, "I'm not much of a 'going to a party person' but after that night...I was even less of one."_

**January 27, 2028**

I walked into the house, wishing I had forced Cat to go with me. She was more of a partygoer than me. I was more of a nightclub sneaker. I loved going to teen nightclubs or actual nightclubs that I could sneak into with a fake ID. I didn't know anyone and I didn't have to socialize with anyone. But at a party, I didn't know anyone and chances were, I had to stand around like a dumbass and wait for someone to talk to me. As I entered the house the modern techno music blared and some drunken cheerleaders were already dancing to it.

"Hey, Mari." John slurred.

"Oh, God," I moaned, "Is everyone at this party drunk?"

"I'm not drunk." He laughed. He stumbled towards me. I quickly moved out of the way and let him fall to the floor. I saw Weasel over near the hallway and started walking towards him.

"Seriously, Holly." I heard him moan. "X has been here five minutes and he's already half-drunk."

"He's an alcoholic, Weasel," A girl laughed, "not to mention a chain-smoker. That asshole's already downed five cigarettes." I heard something smash.

"You break it, you buy it, Redson!" Weasel moaned. "God, I hope Mari doesn't see him like this."

"Like what?" I asked. He jumped.

"Uh..." He stuttered. The girl he was talking to rolled her eyes.

"Let me guess, you had no idea X was an alcoholic and a chain-smoker?"

"What? No, he didn't tell me that." I replied. The girl laughed.

"Of course he wouldn't. He's in denial. Right now, he won't admit he's drunker than shit." She shook her head and muttered something under her breath. I moved around them and tried to find Xavier. When the sound of something else breaking filled the air, I went towards it. And there he was.

I hated smokers with a burning passion. I had always been that way, ever since I was a little girl. And just seeing Xavier light up was enough to make me want to snap his neck. There was something off about him. He was leaning against the wall (smoking that damn cigarette), but there was something different. His eyes seemed...glossed over. He didn't seem to focus as much as he usually did. Then he put the cigarette down and took a drink of the beer from the bottle on the small table next to him.

"Xavier." I said softly. He didn't hear me. I walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. My fingers brushed against his neck and I felt how oddly cool his skin was. Then I realized that he _was_ drunk. Just as I made this realization, he noticed my presence. He grabbed my hand and jerked me closer to him. God, he smelt horrible! Like someone used a keg as an ashtray or something. I knew that alcohol made you more daring then usual.

"Hey, Mari." He said. His voice sounded a little slurred, but not nearly as much as John's.

"You're drunk." I said in soft amazement.

"Nu-uh." He said childishly. "I've only had a couple beers. You smell pretty." He said as he took in a big whiff of my shampoo.

"Wish I could say the same for you." I said trying to pull away. "You smell awful!"

"Baby," He whispered, "don't be like that." He tightened his grip. I knew he was drunk, but if he didn't let me go soon, I was going to conveniently forget that.

"Xavier, I know that the alcohol has messed with your senses and your sense of dignity," I said slowly, "but I swear to God—." Suddenly, he smashed his lips clumsily to mine. I pushed him away using a little more of my "super-strength" then I usually did in public. He stumbled backwards and just barely missed falling to the ground. I took the liberty to leave the room. But Xavier managed to teleport behind me and wrap his arms around my waist.

"I love you." He whispered tenderly in my ear before smothering my neck in drunken kisses. He almost seemed like Jess—except my boyfriend didn't smell like an ashtray.

"No, you don't." I said softly. "The alcohol makes you think that you do. Now let go." Honestly, I never had much patience for people who drink. Which is absolutely hypocritical because I drank all the time. So why was I being so calm and patient with Xavier, who was drunk out of his mind? I was beginning to think that Jump City was making me into a softy. Maybe it was because I knew Xavier and liked him enough to know he didn't mean to behave like this. I didn't know. I didn't want to think about it. The cigarette smoke ran thick in the air and it was giving me a splitting headache.

"Mari..."

"Leave me alone, Xavier."

"Ma—."

"Look," I said shoving him away—hard. "If you want to kill yourself, fine! But let me leave before I get cancer from all the second hand smoke! I'm sorry," I told Weasel before I left, "but I can't associate with him as long as he has those...habits." I rushed out of the house before anyone stopped me. I went to the park and watched the sun set, breathing in the fresh air and waited for the moon to rise.

0O0O0

The Next Evening

For the second night in a row, I used one of my mother's holorings to sneak into a nightclub. I had been avoiding Xavier at all costs, even phone calls. After an argument with Jesse only a few minutes before, I guess you could say I was avoiding him too. I was too frightened to remove my holoring. After last night's...incident I didn't want to get caught. How embarrassing would that be? Unlike the one I went to the previous night, this club played less modern music, from the early 2010s. Which was fine by me. I hated modern music with it's techno noises and robotic vocals. Unlike most people in this age, I actually liked my music sung by _real_ people.

Suddenly, I felt someone rub my shoulder.

"I know you." He said. I froze. I knew that voice by now only too well.

"Red X." I said softly. "What are you doing here?"

"Enjoying the nightlife." He replied. No one else could see him because he was in the shadows.

"I hear you've been stealing xenothium." I said coolly.

"Yep." He replied. I realized that that was the calmest I had seen him in the (so far) three times I had met him. "I hear you hate smokers."

"And alcoholics." I added without realizing it. I suddenly froze. Wait a second…

"How did you know that?"

"I have my sources." He said smugly.

"I suppose you smoke?" I asked.

"And drink."

"Don't you dare light one up." I threatened. "I don't want cancer."

"Are you afraid of death?" He asked.

"What?"

"Are you afraid of death?" He asked again. Who the hell would ask something like that?

"No."

"Liar."

"I'm not afraid of death itself." I confessed. Something inside of my head demanded to know why I was telling a complete stranger, who wanted to kill me, one of my darkest secrets. "I..."

"Yes?" He asked softly, sweetly really. It almost seemed like he cared what I had to say.

"I'm afraid of dying...alone." I whispered almost inaudibly. He stared at me for the longest time.

"Hey..." He said. "Come with me." He grabbed my arm and pulled me deeper into the shadows. Before I knew it, he teleported us out of the building.

When we solidified, I nearly stumbled off the building we were now standing on top of. When my sight returned, I couldn't even see the ground. I backed up, frightened, into Red X's warm body.

"Scared?"

"You're insane!" I exclaimed. He laughed.

"Maybe I am..." He mused. He took in a deep breath. "This is the only place in this whole damned city you can get the freshest, crispest air. The pollution hasn't reached here yet." I opened my mouth to disagree with him, but when I inhaled deeply, I realized he was right. I had never smelt fresher air.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"The antenna of Wayne Enterprises, the tallest building in Eastern Jump City. The Sky Needle," he pointed to a tall building in the distance, "is the tallest building in town, but this is the highest place with level ground. So you won't break your neck."

"Doing what?" I asked. He looked at me for a moment. My eyes opened in wide horror. "No...no...don't you dare!"

"Scared?"

"I like living, thank you!"

"I won't let you die, Mari." He promised.

"How did you..." I asked incredulously.

"A little birdie told me." He laughed. "Wrap your arms around my neck."

"Wh..." One look down the tiny city lights beneath me made me decide to let my question die on my lips and follow his instructions. As I did so, he slipped his arms tightly around my waist.

"God, you're a frickin' toothpick." He said. "Eat a doughnut once in awhile."

"Bite me." I growled. It may have sounded more convincing if my face wasn't as red as the X on his uniform. Before I could add anything else, he threw both our bodies off the building into the unknown.


	7. S i x

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans © Warner Bros. & DC Comics. TTNG, Mari, and Co. © me**

S i x

I wrapped my arms tighter around Red X's neck. The wind flipped through my hair back like whips. I couldn't even scream, I was so shocked. Then, we teleported again. Then I felt water engulf me. When we surfaced, Red X laughed.

"You should have seen your face." He said. "Did you really think I would let you get hurt?"

"Not many boys drag me off a building and then teleport me into the bay." I managed to smile.

"Hang on." He commanded. He teleported us again to the beach. He took my hand in his and pulled me along. After we found a nice place out of view, he started a small fire and we warmed up next to it.

"You seem so...different." I said softly, keeping my eyes on the flames. "The last time I saw you, you were so cocky and arrogant. Now you're..."

"What?" He asked.

"Sweet." I replied softly. I let my head go back as far as possible so my wet hair wasn't touching me so much. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Taking me here, getting my mind off of all my problems." I explained. "Ever since I moved here, I've felt like I've been...drowning. I keep feeling like I'm in over my head."

"You know what you're real problem is, Mari?" He asked.

"What?" I asked quietly.

"You're too serious. You may think that something is important, but it really isn't. You keep every problem to yourself and you need someone to talk to about everything."

"Wow," I laughed, "Red X does therapy." He laughed too.

"What can I say?" He leaned back against the sand and streched. "If you've seen as many nutcases as me, helping a normal person with their problems come easy."

"I'm not normal." I said. Even I could hear my sadness and pain in my voice.

"You can cry if you want." He offered sitting up. "I won't tell anyone, I swear."

"I have no tear-ducts." I said with no emotion. "I haven't cried in almost twelve years."

We sat on the beach and talked for hours. I had never felt so calmed around someone before...except around Xavier. _Is he..._I suspected, then shook my head. It was impossible! I refused to believe it. Why would I think such a thing? They were nothing alike. Well...they were both cocky, both drinkers, both smokers. Both were, when they wanted to be, incredibly sweet.

"You know," He sighed laying back once more on the white sand, "this is one of my favorite places in this hellhole." He stretched his arms out from his body. "The only bad thing is that ugly tower blocking the view." He was talking about Titans Tower, off in the distance.

"It is ugly, isn't it?" I laughed. I laid back next to him on his arm. He pulled me close. "Jesse would kill me if he knew where I was and who I'm with."

"Yeah, because I'm such a big shot asshole, right?" He laughed. He pushed his head against mine.

"You are." I sighed peacefully. Suddenly, he let out a soft moan. His hand drifted from the sand to his lower stomach. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'll be fine." He promised. He sighed. "I'll have to leave soon. The Xs are completely hopeless without me. Besides, they'll start crying if I go back without something shiny and expensive."

"Like an amulet?" I asked, thinking of the xenothium amulet he had no idea I had stolen from him.

"Yeah." He groaned. "I really need to get that one amulet Nightwing's daughter stole from me. My father will kill me if I don't get it back."

"Crimson Death."

"Yeah." He laughed. He grudgingly got up.

"Do...do you have to leave now?" I asked.

"Sorry." He said. He pulled me up. "Where do you live? I'll drop you off."

"Uh...I'd rather walk. Just drop me off at the docks." I pointed to the docks next to the Tower. He cocked his head to one side, but didn't question me.

All the lights were off when I got into the Tower. I don't know who I was more surprised _not _to see: Jesse or my father. I crept through the darkened halls silently. My heart fluttered in my chest as I slipped into my room. Sweet relief.

"Where were you?" Or not.

"Hey, Jesse." I sighed, barely suppressing a moan. "I was out."

"Out where?" He asked, somewhat impatiently. He was only a silhouette in my room, by my bed. I didn't want to turn on the light. He didn't move towards the switch.

"I needed to get some fresh air." I said, not dishonestly. Then I felt Jesse's hands in my hair.

"You're hair is wet!" He gasped. "Mari, it's _January_! What the hell were you doing! You could get sick!"

"It's not like I was getting Russo's!" I growled. "It's not like I'm gonna become an invalid if I get pregnant!"

"Take that back." Jesse snapped, grabbing my arm roughly.

"Let me go, West. If Vic or either of our father's catch us in here together, we'll get penalized again. You'll be in even more trouble because you are older and this is _my_ room."

"Fine." Jesse shrugged. I grinned at him.

"You've been in such a pissy mood lately, bae-bae." I stretched _baby _as long as I could. I stroke his arm lovingly. His grip on my arm loosened and he pulled me close. I felt his warm hands slid down my sides to my hips. I could feel his fingers slip to the zipper on my snug jeans...I felt the zipper begin its journey down...

"Jesse!" My heart fluttered like butterfly wings. "Stop!"

"Why?" He asked. It was impossible _not _to hear the disappointment in his voice. It wasn't the first time we nearly had sex with each other. Every time we nearly did..._it, _I shoved him him away. Every time I did that, he got more and more disappointed. Jesse called me a tease because of it. The truth was, despite what I acted like on the outside, I wasn't ready to give away my virginity. Deep down, I wasn't so sure I wanted to give it away to Jesse anyway. But I kept that to myself.

"Stop being such a Jezebel, Mari." My boyfriend frowned.

"Jezebel?" I laughed. "That's a new one." I kissed his chin, he was almost a half foot taller than me so it was hard for me to reach his nose.

"You know that I can be out of here before Vic notices I'm here." Jesse grinned. I laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you can." Jesse smashed his lips onto my own and gently pushed me to the bed.

0O0O0

I'm a pretty good judge of character most of the time. Usually if I give a person I second chance, I don't regret it. Usually. Two weeks after I chewed him out at the party, thanks to fast acting nicotine patches and determination, Xavier approached me in great remorse and begged for my forgiveness. But he wouldn't give up drinking. But I let that go. I knew eventually he would stop. And he did...eventually. But I noticed that since I was on good terms with Xavier again, Jesse became more possessive of me. It was almost like he and Xavier were playing invisible tug-of-war with me. But even then I saw less and less of my gray haired friend. Tiny was almost always pulling him away and Weasel was making more and more excuses for him. I became very bored. With the Titans rushing off all the time, Jen's countless doctors appointments, Jesse always at football practice, and Randy at his computer geek anonymous meetings, I actually began hanging out with Cat again—something I had not done since I was twelve.

I could vaguely remember a time when Cat and I were practically joined at the hip. We were almost twins in a way. But when I joined the Jokerz, things changed. I saw her as a loser and began distancing myself from her. She saw me as a self-absorbed bitch and didn't speak to me much. It surprised us both when we began hanging out with each other. She was with me when we discovered why Xavier, Tiny, and Weasel were always so busy.

"You guys wanna join a gang?" A blonde boy asked us. I shot Cat a "don't talk to him" look.

"What gang?"

"The Xs. Greatest gang in the world." He replied proudly. I could hardly keep from snorting.

"I dunno, I've heard a lot of bad shit about them." I shrugged my shoulders. I put my geometry book in my messenger bag and shut my locker.

"That's just Joker shit." The boy said forcefully. "Come by the Xs warehouse and I'll show you how a real gang works."

"Alright. Where is it?" I asked coolly. This was it! I was about to hear where the Xs had relocated after the raid! I had been waiting for this moment for over two years. I would see the new leader, maybe even Red X.

"You know the docks were the TTNG busted Ravager?" He asked. We nodded. "It's three down from her old warehouses on the left. The one with all of the graffiti, it's right at the end near the water."

"We'll see you there then. Seven okay?"

"Seven's great." He smiled. He winked at Cat, who gulped nervously, and left.

"We're not really..."

"Of course not." I snorted. "But I want to see where Red X operates. Don't tell anyone though."

"How are we going to go though?"

"Catherine," I sighed. "It's the last period of the day. No teacher gives a damn if someone skips out." I didn't let her answer me. I grabbed her and we went to the gym where we could slip out the door unseen by cameras.

"Aren't you supposed to meet X?" She asked.

"He ditched me again." I said nonchalantly. "Now be quiet. Your voice will echo in here."

0O0O0

I couldn't believe we had been so close to the Xs' hideout. I felt like an idiot. We slipped in through a side window and crept through the worn-down halls. I put my finger to my lips and silently shushed my nervous friend.

"I think it's great." I hear a girl, I think she was with Weasel at the party, said. "We need more female members." I pulled Cat to a part of the wall that had it's upper half blown off, most likely in the raid.

"Yeah, we need more whiny bitches." A familiar voice growled. Tiny!

"Shut up, dipshit!" The girl growled.

"Holly." Another familiar voice sighed. "Don't antagonize him."

"Yeah." Weasel said. Cat pulled my arm and motion at him, her purple eyes wide in shock. I nodded, mouthing that I saw him.

"Damn, I need a cigarette." The familiar voice sighed.

"If you weren't Grayson's lapdog, you could have one." Tiny growled. "I don't know why you let her break you like that."

"Go to hell!" The voice snapped. Cat gasped, bringing all attention to her. I would of hit her in anger because of that, but I saw what she had gasped at. The familiar voice, the voice of the Xs' leader, belonged to none other than Xavier Redson. The boy who was looking right at me.


	8. S e v e n

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans © Warner Bros. & DC Comics.**

S e v e n

I was speechless. Cat was freaking out. The Xs couldn't tell if they should attack us or not. They looked at Xavier. Xavier looked at me with shock. Then he had an expression that read "Shit, I gotta find a way to explain this to her."

"Xavier?" I said in shock. "You're the _leader_ of the Xs?!"

"Um...kinda." He said uncomfortably.

"Kinda?" Tiny scoffed. "Of course he is!" I raised my eyebrow at Xavier expectantly.

"I can totally explain." He quickly said.

"Oh really." I crossed my arms around my chest. Then it hit me. We looked almost exactly like Wally and Jen when Wally did something stupid!

"Well...I kinda became the leader after...the Jokerz killed the last one." He said in a small voice.

"And you never told me...why?" I asked.

"Would you have believed me?" He asked in a begging voice. He got up from his chair and approached me. But the Xs were angry and looked like they were about to attack Cat and me. Cat whimpered and clutched my arm like a frightened child.

"Call off your posse." I ordered.

"Guys," Xavier gave them a hand gesture that read, "cool it". They frowned, but obeyed their leader. Xavier reached the hole and didn't say anything. He couldn't really. To be honest, no one could. Xavier extended a hand and touched the side of my face. I closed my eyes and reveled in his touch.

"Mari!" Cat yanked me away just as a gunshot echoed across the warehouse. The bullet would have wizzed right by Xavier's hand and right...between...my...eyes. I looked behind Xavier. Tiny had a gun pointed right at me. Xavier whirled around.

"What the..." he began, then looked back at me.

"You...tried to kill me?" I said to Xavier, even though it was Tiny who pulled the trigger. Then it hit me. He was an X. And if he could see the scar between my breasts, I would be just a Joker to him. There was no way we could be friends now. Even though he had no idea I was a Joker _now_, but how long would it be before he knew? One day, one month, one _year_? I couldn't even hear the rushed words coming out of his mouth. Then I ran. I ran faster than I had ever run before. Cat, who was much slower than me, ran after me screaming my name over and over again. Then she did something ridiculously stupid. She transformed into a cheetah in front of the Xs and ran in front of me.

"She's Raven and Changeling's _daughter_?"

"What the hell?"

"A _**Titan**_? In our hideout?"

"I'll get the shotgun!"

"What about Grayson? Is she just a friend or is she a Titan too?"

"Mari, Cat, wait!" Weasel called. Suddenly, a _herd_ of Xs came trampling down the ruined halls like rabid wolves.

We ran into a room and slammed the door. I locked it and shoved a door shut.

"What...were...you..._**thinking**_?" I hissed angrily. My eyes glowed an angry blue. "Now they _know_!"

"B...b...but you ran so _fast_!" She whimpered.

"Now they know that we're Titans!" I shouted. I took a deep breath and I made myself calm down. "Look, I need you to promise me something."

"S…sure." She stuttered.

"Get out of here as _fast_ as you can. Get at least five miles away. Then call _Vic_ and tell him to come and get us. I'll stay here and cover for you the best I can."

"But, Mari--."

"Cat, you promised!" I said sternly. She whimpered, but nodded. She transformed into a puma and began to walk away. Her purple eyes looked at me sadly before she ran away.

0O0O0

I swiftly ran through the building. It had been five minutes and I still hadn't seen a single X. Not even Red X. I had to say, I was partially surprised. I still could hear Weasel call my name. I didn't know where Xavier was, and quite frankly, I didn't care.

"Hiya." Red X said. I jumped. I spoke too soon.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I growled.

"Uh…this is my _hide out_." He laughed. "I think _I_ should be asking _you_ that very same question."

"I was thinking about joining up." I quipped.

"You'd be an adorable X." He laughed. "I'd love to see you get initiated." he stroked the side of my face. I slapped his hand away and moved back.

"Back off." I threatened.

"You are cute." He persisted.

"Xavier!" I snapped. Then I gasped. Red X's body froze.

"Wh-what did you call me?" He asked shakily. It was the first time I had ever seen him that way.

"Sorry," I replied honestly. "I yell at you and your _leader_ all the time, it's no wonder I got the two of you confused."

"Or really?" he asked getting his cocky tone back. Then the thought of Red X being the spokesperson for the Xs hit me. Who knows what he would do to me. I backed up nervously and took off before Red X could stop me.

"Mari, stop!" He shouted. I kept running.

I hid in closet and looked around for something that could help me escape. Then I smiled. In the corner, buried behind a pile of discarded brooms were two cans of kerosene.

"I wonder if Xavier keeps matches in here…" I pondered aloud. I dug a little bit, but I could find none. I sighed irritably, but grabbed the bulky cans, one in each hand and walked through now empty halls, pouring out a little bit of kerosene out of one can as I walked. "Man," I chuckled aloud, "if I was still in the Jokerz, I'd get a medal for this." I knew I had to hurry up before Cat returned with Vic…or worse, if I was caught by the Xs. Something told me they wouldn't like my little…prank so much. I _did_ feel a little guilty about what I was doing. Xavier would never _**really**_ trust me again--but would I ever really trust him again? How deep did we dig ourselves in this pit of lies and deception? I shook my head and tried to get those thoughts out of my head.

Once I emptied the cans I positioned myself near a window and prepared to throw a star bolt at the large puddle of kerosene in the middle of a room, probably the leader--Xavier's--office. I could hear the large crowd of Xs below me and decided that there was little time left. I quickly blasted the puddle and pushed myself out of the window before the entire office was up in flames. Someone caught me, however, before I hit the ground.

"What the hell have you done?!" Jesse snapped. Cat mouthed "sorry" to me, but I shrugged. I was never happier to see my boyfriend than at that moment.

"I've made it nearly impossible for the Xs to remobilized. _**Plus**_, I burned down Xavier's hideout." I added happily. Jesse put me down and kissed me as hard as he could.

"That's great!" He said, grinning widely. "Man, you're dad is going to be so pleased!"

"Where's Vic?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I couldn't find him." Cat replied innocently. I shrugged and headed towards Jesse's car. I stopped halfway, sensing that someone was watching me. Looking back, however, I knew that it was only my imagination.

0O0O0

_My father held Mari's communicator in his hand. I grimaced and wished he had never found it. The warehouse smelt like ashes from the fire she had started. Thankfully, however, no one was hurt. __**Un**__fortunately, it ruined a lot of things we were planning on hacking in pawn shops, selling on the black market, or even trading with other gangs. But none of that mattered now. _

"_You know what you have to do." My father said. "Go to the Tower and kill her."_

"_No!" I shouted, then managed to regain my composure, but it was too late. He knew. My father laughed loudly and that bitch laughed with him._

"_I thought I told you not to get attached." He chuckled._

"_Don't make me do this." I begged. "I'll do anything."_

"_Alright." My father decided and thought for a moment._

"_Make the famous Red X suffer!" Rose said in extra malice._

"_Stay away from Mari Grayson." My father said finally. "For the rest of your life. You can…__**admire**__ her from afar if you like, but you can never speak to her again, never speak to any Titans again, and __**never**__ try anything like the other night again." He added reminding me of when I had taken her "sky-diving". I was shocked. I didn't know that he knew. "And son?"_

"_Yes?" I answered with gritted teeth._

"_If you break any of these rules, just one time, __**I**__ will kill her. I will not do it with mercy. It will be very slow and __**extremely **__painful. Do you understand?"_

"_Yes, father." I replied with a heavy heart._

"_Honestly, it would just be easier for everyone if you would kill her yourself." Rose said. I didn't say anything to her and I didn't try to attack her. I just got up and left the room. If staying away from Mari meant saving her life, I would never even __**look**__ at her. Not even on my deathbed._

**A/N: The only part of this chapter I actually ****liked**** was the last part. Sad huh?**


	9. E i g h t

_**Disclaimer: Teen Titans © Warner Bros. & DC Comics. TTNG © me.**_

_**A/N: Wow, lately, I really like writing in Red X's POV. Well, my faithful readers. I will grant you a marvelous gift! I shall reveal Red X's identity. (But not to Mari--yet.) Just a not to someone (I won't name names ;) ) There are two other Red Xs besides the one in my story. Robin from Season 1 and the "original" Red X.**_

_E i g h t_

_Recap_

_January_

"_You know what you have to do." My father said. "Go to the Tower and kill her."_

"_No!" I shouted, then managed to regain my composure, but it was too late. He knew. My father laughed loudly and that bitch laughed with him._

"_I thought I told you not to get attached." He chuckled._

"_Don't make me do this." I begged. "I'll do anything."_

"_Alright." My father decided and thought for a moment._

"_Make the famous Red X suffer!" Rose said in extra malice._

"_Stay away from Mari Grayson." My father said finally. "For the rest of your life. You can…__**admire**__ her from afar if you like, but you can never speak to her again, never speak to any Titans again, and __**never**__ try anything like the other night again." He added reminding me of when I had taken her "sky-diving". I was shocked. I didn't know that he knew. "And son?"_

"_Yes?" I answered with gritted teeth._

"_If you break any of these rules, just one time, __**I**__ will kill her. I will not do it with mercy. It will be very slow and __**extremely **__painful. Do you understand?"_

"_Yes, father." I replied with a heavy heart._

"_Honestly, it would just be easier for everyone if you would kill her yourself." Rose said. I didn't say anything to her and I didn't try to attack her. I just got up and left the room. If staying away from Mari meant saving her life, I would never even __**look**__ at her. Not even on my deathbed._

0O0O0

**Two months later**

I felt…lonely. Xavier had changed his entire schedule so that we never had any classes together…heck, I never even saw him in the hallway between classes! I tried to apologize for what I done, but he never wrote me back in notes or emails. Tiny and Weasel avoided me too. Of course, I didn't blame them. I had _almost_ destroyed their hideout, they deserved to be angry. Even Red X was mad at me. I hadn't seen him in two months. I couldn't believed that I even _missed_ him!

My father was very proud of me for setting the Xs hideout on fire. Prouder than he had in my life, in fact. But, that didn't even matter to me now. I was sad and I didn't even know why! I was finally in charge of a big assignment, finding the xenothium Red X, Ravager, and Crimson Death had stolen, but I couldn't concentrate on it. All I could think about was Xavier and Red X. I really couldn't believe how lousy I felt. All my life I never really felt guilty for something I had done. Even after I lit the Xs Headquarters on fire, I didn't feel guilty…until I realized fully what I had done. Without any of my "new" friends to hang out with, I actually lost interest hanging out with Cat and Randy. I even stopped goig out with Jesse on weekends, which put a bit of a drainer on our relationship. But then again, what's new?

0O0O0

_For some reason, Mari took up sneaking out at night and wandering around town aimlessly. Therefore, I took up following her, unseen. After all, my father did say I could watch her from afar. But that really wasn't enough. I needed to touch her, talk to her, something! I had been around a lot of other girls before I had even _seen_ Mari. I had bothered them like I had bothered her. But I had never felt that…__**spark**__ that I felt with Mari. She was different than the other girls. Smarter, wittier, actually __**not **__willing to sleep with me. It wasn't long until I realized that my father was not taking mercy on me because of my "feelings" for her. He was actually __**punishing**__ me because of them! I stole what he wanted me to because I believed that if I was a "good boy", as Rose referred to me as, then maybe he would not forget his word. Then maybe I wouldn't have to worry about Mari being killed. My father was Crimson Death, __the second ever Red X, after Mari's own father, Nightwing (aka Robin). __What the hell was I thinking?_

0O0O0

Everyone thought that if I was out on a mission, I would feel better. The Titans and I went out to stop Crimson Death and his "posse", as Randy referred Rose and Red X as, before he stole even _more_ xenothium. We were all stumped as to _**why**_ he was trying to drain the entire city of its xenothium supply, but we were determined to stop him before he did. Our quest took us to the Jump City Star Labs building, a place I was secretly yearning to work at when I was older, as a bontanist, my dream job. Up near the roof was a large supply of xenothium that Crimson Death wanted. But the closer we got to the room, the more I realized that it was too easy. Was it a trap?

"Freeze!" I shouted, kicking down the door. Red X's body froze like a deer in headlights. He backed into a corner then disappeared.

"Huh?" Randy said. "No 'baby' or 'sexy' or make-out sessions? No paralyzing or witty comebacks?"

"He lookedlike the child who got caught with his in the cookie jar." Cat commented.

"Oh, Jesse," someone called. Jesse was suddenly kicked in the face by Ravager and thrown into a wall. "That's for breaking up with me, you prick!" she growled. Rose looked the same, except her horrible, self-given haircut had been evened out and she looked very pretty now. She snapped her fingers and Randy, Cat, and I were grabbed by robots. Jesse was grabbed by Rose and thrown into a robot's waiting arms.

"Well, well, well." A silhouette walked in, soon to be revealed as Crimson Death himself. Red X followed cautiously. "If it isn't the great Mariander Grayson, AKA Nightwing's Daughter." He walked over to me and removed my mask before forced my chin up with his index and middle fingers. "You're just as beautiful as your mother. Wouldn't you agree she's beautiful, son?" He asked Red X. Even though he was in costume, I could still see his Adam's apple move as he swallowed before he replied.

"Yes, she's very beautiful." I couldn't help but blush at his comment. Crimson Death reached into his belt and pulled out my missing communicator.

"You forgot this, my dear." He said. He slipped it into my belt. "Now say 'Thank you'." I didn't reply. He elbowed me roughly in my stomach.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her!" Red X shouted in shock and anger.

"Wrong!" His father replied. "I said I wouldn't _kill _her. But you forgot one thing, son. I'm a thief; and like all thieves, I always go back on my word. Now say 'thank you', Mari, dear, or I'll have to hurt you again."

Instead of acquiescing, I spat in his face, and was slapped this time. Red X charged at his father, only to be held back by robots.

"You bastard!" he shouted.

"You shouldn't of believed me, you stupid boy."

Crimson Death laughed. Jesse tried to break free, but the robot whose clutches he was in was both jinx-proof and heat-proof. Not to mention "that funny thing Wally and Jesse can do when they can speed up their molecules"-proof.

"Say 'thank you', Mari." Crimson Death said again. I caved.

"Thank you." I said with a bitchy look on my face and with venom in my voice. Crimson Death nodded and Rose rushed forth to knee me in the stomach. After I was able to breath again, he spoke to me again.

"Like you mean it."

"Thank you." I said.

"Good, good." The man said. "Now, where is the amulet?"

"What amulet?" I demanded. Rose gave mea punch in the stomach that really hurt...badly. Red X and Jesse tried the hardest to break free from their bonds, but with no success.

"The xenothium amulet you outsmarted my son out of!" Crimson Death growled.

"Do whatever you please to me!" I shouted. "I'll never tell you!" Rose punched me harder this time.

"Feel free to keep resisting." She informed me with a nasty smile. "I like hurting you."

"The amulet is in the Tower!" Randy shouted. "In the evidence room on the eight floor. Go straight in and it's in a case that has a combination! 32 left! 3 right! Stop at 30! Let us go! Take all the xenothium you want, just stop hurting Mari!"

"Rose, watch them."

"NO!" I shouted, only to be hurt by Rose again. Crimson Death disappeared.

I hung my head and clenched my jaw. How could this happen! Suddenly, I heard a noise that sounded like metal cutting through metal. I lifted my head and saw Red X slice his way out of the robot's grip. He grabbed Rose's neck immediately afterwards and she fell to the floor unconscious before she even had time to scream. He freed Jesse, Randy, and Cat and then released me.

"Who's side are you on!?" I demanded.

"I don't know." He replied. "Come on, we don't have much time!" He grabbed my hand and we ran.

"What did you mean 'you said you wouldn't hurt her?'" Randy asked.

"After we found out Mari was Nightwing's daughter, my father ordered me to go to Titan's Tower and kill her. I didn't want to, so he made an agreement with me. I avoid her and never speak to her until I die, and he wouldn't kill her. Apparently, he was lying the whole time."

"Why do you care if I live?" I asked.

"Because," He replied simply, "You've grown on me."

0O0O0

_I helped Mari and the TTNG back to the Tower, but I refused to go past the docks. I was furious at my father for betraying me. Then again, what did I expect from him? _

"_Don't be upset." Mari said softly. She had stayed behind while the others went ahead. "My father is an asshole too."_

"_What do you do with all that anger?" I asked._

"_Bottle it up __**deeeeeep**__ inside myself."_

"_That's unhealthy." I replied. "All that anger is going to make you explode one of these days, you know." Mari smiled at this._

"_I hope so." She replied. "Especially around my father."_

_I laughed. I tried to think of something witty to say.__but the next thing that came out of my mouth was way far from witty._

"_X misses you." I blurted._

"_Xavier?" She asked in surprise. Then she smiled strangely. "I miss him too. I wish he would talk to me again."_

"_All the Xs kinda had to avoid you…for your safety." I said. She looked at me with skepticism._

"_**Tiny**__ was concerned about my safety?" She asked._

"_Why would he go near you?" I replied. "He had no reason to associate with you when his leader wasn't." _

"_Good point." She said. Then she smiled at me. "I'm not stupid, you know."_

"_What?"_

"_You didn't realize it was Titan's Tower you were sneaking into, did you?" She asked with a sparkle in her eye._

"_I…" I couldn't finish my sentence._

"_Red X, I know you've been stalking me. I know that before the fire, you came into my bedroom and sat with me while I slept. Every night."_

"_How did you find out?" I asked her, genuinely surprised._

"_Wasn't hard." She said it like I was an idiot. "I woke up a couple weeks after school started and found myself in your arms."_

"_I didn't realize you were awake. Why didn't you let me know?"_

"_I was comfortable." She __shrugged. __She sat down on a wooden crate and closed her eyes. I watched the sea breeze blow her long raven hair back in long tendrils. She patted area next to her and looked at me. "Sit." She commanded._

"_I really don__'t think that thing will hold two people." I said, partially glad she couldn't see my smile._

"_We're both practically anorexic." She joked. "So we weigh the equivalent of one person. So we're fine." I decided not to question her strange logic and I sat beside her. "Thank you…for saving us that is." She said._

"_You're welcome." I replied._

"_Mariander Jean Grayson!" Someone shouted from the tower. "If you don't get your ass in here right __**now**__, you are in big trouble, young lady!"_

"_I gotta go." She sighed, "Before Jen has a heart attack." She began to walk off, but then stopped. "Could you give something to Xavier for me?" She asked boldly._

"_Uh…yeah, sure." I replied. She walked towards me and lifted my mask up so that it revealed my mouth and nose. She kissed me. "One for the recipiant." She whispered. She kissed me again. "And one for the messenger." She replaced my mask for me and walked off. I just stood dumbly on the docks while I watched her return home. Then I knew what I had to do._

0O0O0

Red X's lips were soft and smooth, like silk. I don't know why I kissed _him_. I didn't even know why I told him to deliver one of those kisses to Xavier. Especially since I had a boyfriend. I was just controlled by impulse, that was all. But I enjoyed kissing him. I enjoyed the jolt his body gave when my lips pressed against his. I enjoyed the fact that he stood like an idiot, dumbstruck on the pier until I was inside. With my heart content, I went to Rachel so she could heal the bruises on my stomach, then I would let my mother draw me a scented bubble bath, then after my bath, I would go to bed. Nothing could go wrong.

0O0O0

_I burst into the chamber. My father was with the rest of the Xs._

"_Nice of you to come, traitor." He said._

"_You're the traitor!" I growled. I pulled off my mask. "You lied to me! You promised me that you wouldn't hurt Mari!"_

"_Get over her!" Tiny shouted. "She's going to ruin the Xs!"_

"_You get over yourself!" Holly shouted. "I for one like the changes she's made to him!" Several others agreed with her._

"_**YOU ARE MY GANG! I CREATED YOU! YOU ALL BELONG TO ME!**__" My father shouted. _

"_Not anymore." I vowed._

"_What are you saying…Xavier?" My father asked._

"_I'm the leader of the Xs." I said simply. "We're separating from you."_

"_You can't do that!" Tiny objected. I turned to face him._

"_Watch me." I simply replied._

"_You really think she'll still care about you when she finds out who you really are?" Rose asked from behind me. She grabbed my arm. Her blue eyes were soft--softer than I had ever seen them before. "Trust me. She and Jesse are shallow, they don't care about people like us." I shoved her away. "X…" She said softly. "Forget her. We're perfect for each other."_

"_No, we__'re not." I said pushing her away. "I'll try to say this kindly, but you are one seriously crazed up bitch. You need therapy--big time! Yeah, Mari's a little bipolar, but you make her look like the sanest person on the __**planet**__!!"_

"_Are you calling me crazy?"_

"_Look, the truth is, you don't really like me." I said. "You only like me because you think __**Mari**__ likes me. You're jealous of her. It's so obvious, Rose."_

"_You can't segregate the Xs, Xavier." My father said. I glared at him._

"_Oh, yes I can."_

"_Don't look at me like that." He suddenly commanded. I didn't back down. "I said don't look at me." He repeated._

"_Why?" I asked cocking my head. "Do I remind you of the woman you killed because of the xenothium you took? Do I remind you of my __**mother**__?" He moved quicker than I anticipated and slashed my face with a knife, just barely missing my own eye. I was thankful for that. I didn't want to end up like Rose._

"_If you are so sure that she loves you, go to her tomorrow. Soon, you'll find out if she truly loves you or not." My father said. He called Rose and they disappeared. Weasel pulled me up and looked at my injury._

"_Shit!" He exclaimed. "You're definitely going to need stitches. You're lucky, X. He could have blinded you."_

"_Why can't you keep your mouth shut?!" Holly demanded, a little shaken up from the incident she had witnessed._

"_Maybe Mari was right." I laughed, ignoring the pain from my wound and the blood running down my face. "Maybe I should bottle up my anger."_

"_I think that she __**was **__right." Weasel agreed. "Now let's get you to a hospital and think up a __**pretty**__ good excuse for Emma on why you nearly got your eye taken out."_


	10. N i n e

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans © Warner Bros. & DC Comics; TTNG © me**

**A/N: Hehe, boy, do I have evil plans for my characters. :)**

N i n e

Since the schools computers crashed, students had to have their schedules fixed and new ones received. When I got to my new first period class, Advanced Algebra II and Trigonometry, there was a large crowd surrounding the back row in the middle section.

"Oh, X, how awful!"

"Poor X!"

"Dude, are you gonna have to get an eye patch?" I pushed my way past the crowd and found Xavier sitting on a desk with a bandage over his right eyebrow.

"Hi, Mar." He greeted quietly.

"What…happened…to…you!?" I shouted, eyes wide.

"Got into a fight."

He pulled me closer. "With Crimson Death." he whispered. "Separated the Jump City Xs from him and everything!"

"You did _what_?" I gasped. He didn't give me any more time to think but got off the desk and grabbed my arm. "Let's go."

He pulled me down the hall into "our" closet.

"Mari, I don't care that you're Nightwing's daughter." I blinked.He smirked at me as he said, "I don't even care that you're MJ Gray." I gasped as my old Joker name fell from his lips.

"How…"

"Found you in the Xs' data space. You caused a lot of trouble for us, you know," he grinned.

"Not counting the fire?" I asked.

He nodded in agreement "Not counting the fire."

He smiled naughtily. "Oh, I got your message." he said. I blushed. He kissed me on the lips.

"I missed you too." I said after we parted. "You're my best _friend_." I said. "I need you."

"Mari…" He said in surprise. He hugged me and I gasped in pain. "What?!" He said urgently, pulling away.

"Crimson Death kicked my ass last night and Rachel wouldn't heal my bruises. Something about why I shouldn't be so damn stubborn about things or something."

I shrugged. At his worried eyes, I pulled up my shirt and showed him my bruises. He gently touched them. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"That's good." He said, relief evident on his face.

"Xavier, I want you to promise me something." I said solemnly.

"Anything." He swore, just as solemnly.

"We tell each other everything. No secrets, no lies, no loose ends." I said firmly.

"Uh…yeah, sounds good." He replied. "No secrets."

**0O0O0**

**Rose did not take rejection well. Even though my son was right and she wasn't really "interested" in him, his rejection had hurt her. The poor girl needed me for guidance. When I took her under my wing, she was borderline suicidal. She had chopped all her hair off and was planning on killing herself. It was I, not her idiotic, cruel mother, who stopped her. It was I who gave her the plan to kidnap the Titans to get revenge on Mari. It was true that Rose was not like Mari. I noticed that when I had seen Mari that night. Rose was…unstable. She let her feelings and wants known. That was bad when fighting one's enemies. Mari kept her sadness and her anger hidden from her enemies. She knew how to dig for her enemies' weaknesses and could be cold and unforgiving when she needed to be. Since Xavier had abandoned me and given up his place as my apprentice, I needed a new one. Unlike Richard Grayson (or Nightwing as he preferred to be called now) I knew my limits. I knew I was getting older. My joints were not as quick as they once were. To think, I ) had been looking forward to my son taking over for me. **

**Why did I lose control? It was his eyes. No, not the look of pure hatred in those eyes of his. He got that from me. If the xenothium hadn't of changed his hair color while he was still a fetus, no doubt he would have had my hair color, not the blackish gray color it was now. But he had her eyes. Elizabeth's eyes. The deep soulful brown orbs that made me fall in love with her in the first place. He knew very well, as he proven that night, that his eyes reminded me of his late mother. He may not have believed me, nor would he when he grew to adulthood, but I really did love his mother. **

**Elizabeth was everything _she_ wasn't. She was down to earth and determined, like her son. The redhead I was dating at the time when I met Lizzie was overly optimistic and would rather have a man take care of her I loved it until I met her polar opposite. I never told Xavier that in order to support herself in med school, his mother worked as a stripper. That was when I first saw her. I loved her long wavy chestnut hair and her wide deep brown eyes. She warned me about the drug. She warned me that it would have disastrous side affects. Why didn't I listen to her? I didn't realize I had XODD when Xavier was conceived. The guilt I felt when I found out that not only the love of my life but also my unborn child had XODD because of me was unbearable. Lizzie wanted to name him Xavier, after me. I refused, but I finally gave in to her demands. She named him Xavier Oliver Redson after me and my own father, the one that had driven me to go into Titans Tower and steal the Red X suit in the first place as an escape. But that's beside the point. I had hoped that he would listen to me when I warned him about my enemy's daughter. They weren't right together. What kind of father would I be if I didn't interfere?**

**0O0O0**

**It was funny how the Titans "sprung into action" when Rose and I appeared in their living room.**

"**Remember me?" I asked Nightwing.**

"**Red X." He growled. We were lucky. We had just gotten there just as the children, minus Nightwing's daughter, had come home. **

"**Dad," The youngest boy gasped, "what are they doing here?"**

"**Say, Jess?" Rose asked. "Where's Mari?"**

"**Go away, Rose." The oldest boy growled.**

"**My, my, my, **_**Robin**_**," I laughed using his old name, "you aren't really a good father are you? And you aren't a good mother, **_**Starfire**_**." I nodded at Mari's mother. "Letting her do God-knows-what with Red X."**

"**She isn't with Red X!" The youngest boy said haughtily. "She told me she went out to dinner with X!"**

"**You didn't know!?" Rose gasped in false shock. "Death, do you think that Mari knows?"**

"**I highly doubt it, my dear." I replied jauntily.**

"**Know what?!" Nightwing demanded. I laughed.**

"**Red X, as you know is my son." I said.**

"**So?" He laughed himself. "We know that!"**

"**Red X is actually Xavier. Xavier Redson. The boy you let your daughter hang around." The Titans gasped in horror and jumped up and ran out the door. "Oh, Jesse?" I called the boy stopped. I handed him the photos of Mari kissing Red X on the pier and the photo I had taken earlier of Mari and Xavier kissing in the janitor's closet at school. His face paled. "My condolences."**

0O0O0

I thanked Xavier for bringing me to the secluded area in the park. I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed so much. But there was something wrong. We were best friends. But best friends didn't hold hands. They didn't…look at each other like we were looking at each other. It was perfect, but imperfect at the same time.

"Mari," Xavier said suddenly. "I…I need to tell you something."

"You can tell me anything." I said confusedly. He knew that, right? Why was he asking me?

"Jesse's…not right for you, Mar." He said. "I've seen his kind too many times before. He'll use you up trying to make you something you aren't and then he'll throw you away! Look what he did to Rose!"

"How did you know about…?"

"Mari, everyone knows the truth about them! He used her, tried to make her into the perfect girl, a trophy girlfriend. When he realized he couldn't do it, he broke up with her and got with you."

"Xavier." I said softly. I squeezed his hand. "That's sweet but…"

"Why do you waste your time with him! He's turning you into a submissive trophy girl! You can find someone who loves you so much more than he can!"

"Like who?" I asked with a grin.

"Me."

Silence ensued for a few long minutes before I could collect my wits again.

"What?" I gasped. I put my hand over my mouth and my eyes widened.

"I love you, Mari. Since the moment I first saw you. You were so beautiful with the snow in your hair, the light shinning down on you like you were an angel. You took no shit from anyone!"

"I have a boyfriend, Xavier. You're sweet and all, but…"

"MARI!!" It was the most embarrassing thing I had ever seen. The Titans and the TTNG came charging towards us…in uniform.

"What the hell are you guys doing!?" I demanded. "We're in public!"

"Stay away from her!" My father threatened Xavier.

"Dad!" I gasped. "What are you doing? Leave him alone!" My mother pulled me away and took me into her arms.

"My poor baby!" She cried.

"Mother!" I growled. I pulled away. I looked at Jesse. Surely he didn't hear Xavier's confession of love. If he hadn't, why was he so angry?

"Do you know who he is, Mari?" Rachel asked.

"Xavier Redson." I replied with a laugh.

"Besides that." She said. Her face was somber and serious, more so than usual.

"Leader of the Xs."

"Besides that."

"Who then?" I asked. She looked at Xavier.

"Are you going to tell her? You can lie, but I assure you that we'll know the second you begin to do so." She promised.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Your _father_ told us everything." Jesse said venomously. "He also showed me these." He handed Xavier several pictures.

"Where did…" I took them from him. It was pictures of Xavier kissing me earlier that day…and me kissing Red X the night before.

"Mari," Jen said softly. "He's Red X."

"Red…Jen, are you crazy?" I laughed. "He's not Red X!"

"Yes, he is." My mother said sadly.

"Xavier, tell them you aren't Red X!" I demanded. He looked at me mournfully. "Xavier…"

He didn't speak at first. He didn't look at me. He hung his head low and stared at his shoes.

"I'm sorry, Mari." He finally said in a shaky voice. "I'm so, so sorry! I…I never meant for you to find out this way."

"You…you aren't serious." I said. "This is a joke!"

"I thought that…if you never found out…" He sighed. "If you never found out, it would be better. I mean for God's sake, Mari, my father is Crimson Death! He wanted me to _kill _you!" He reached out to me. I hit his hand away. I took a deep breath and sighed.

"Xavier," I said in a shaky, injured voice, "I never want to see you again. Not in school, not in town, and especially not in my bedroom." I turned away and began walking away.

"Mari!" He calledafter me in a heartbroken voice.

I stopped in spite of myself. I could sense him standing where I had left him, could feel his despairing stare focused on me. I clenched my teeth.

"I don't love you anymore, Xavier." I said before I ran away without a second glance.

**A/N:Sorry about the shortness. I wanted to get this done before I had to go to bed. R&R!**


	11. T e n

_**Disclaimer: Teen Titans © Warner Bros. & DC Comics**_

_**A/N: Fun fact for the chapter: The scene between Mari and Jesse wasn't supposed to take place inside in front of the front door. It was supposed to take place in the living room and they were supposed to beat the hell out of each other. **_

_T e n_

I ran through the doors of the Tower and let my body collapse on the floor. I didn't cry. Not once. But it felt like my heart was broken. I needed to know why Xavier never told me that he was Red X. I was trustworthy, I could keep a secret, I wouldn't have told anyone his secret identity. I pushed my head against the cold metal floor and fixed my body so that I was putting all my weight on my knees and elbows, my backside facing the sky, my body making a upwards slope starting at my head.

"We need to talk." Jesse said. His voice was cold and unforgiving. I didn't blame him. I pushed myself so that I was sitting tall on my calves.

"We do." I agreed solemnly.

"What the hell did you mean when you said 'I don't love you anymore'?" He demanded. I got up and looked at him, a sad smile on my face, my eyes showing pure sadness according to the mirror behind him.

"Have you noticed something between us, Jess?" I asked sadly.

"No." He replied stubbornly.

"This was a mistake." I sighed. "We should have never dated, Jess. We…we're like those blocks you had when you were younger. You know, the ones where you fit the circle block in the round hole, the diamond block in the diamond hole, and the square block in the square hole."

"What do you mean, Mari?" He asked, afraid to hear what I had to say.

"We're trying to fit two completely different pieces together and it's not working, Jess!" I exclaimed. "It was fun for awhile but, we just aren't good together. You're a jock! I'm the girl who ends up killing the jocks sooner or later! What happened to us? We used to be best friends, then when you met Rose, everything fell apart. I want to go back to that, Jesse! I want us to hang out like the old days! I want to sit in the corridor playing jokes on Vic, I want to throw cards in a hat again, I want us to…just be friends again."

"So," he said in a voice I wasn't sure of. "You'd rather date Redson than date me?

"NO!" I shouted. "I don't want to date either of you! I just want to be single! I just want my friend back." I reached out to touch his face, but he slapped it away. "Jesse…"

"I waited for you to come around and figure out we were meant to be _for four years, _Mari. Since Christmas, I have noticed that we were breaking apart, but I wanted to keep our flame alive as long as I could. It would have worked too if _Redson_ hadn't of interfered. Now where are we going?" He was screaming now.

"Jess," I said, looking away, "you may love me, but I don't love you anymore, and I can never love you again. It's not anything either of us did and it isn't something we can change. We're older Jess. We gave it our best shot, but it's over. Now all we can do now is cut our losses and move on with what dignity is left. I never cheated on you, not really. I kissed him on the docks, but only as a thank-you. He kissed me in the closet, but only because he loved me. When he told me in the park, right before you and the rest of the Titans burst onto the scene, I was telling him I had a boyfriend. The 'I don't love you' bit slipped out, but I was honest. I don't love any man or boy. I just want to be single again."

"Then maybe you're right. Maybe we should _cut our losses_." He gave me a dirty look and he sped off. I realized something as he did speed off. I had lost my oldest friend, and I was bitterly alone now. The weeks passed and I never saw Xavier again. Jesse never forgave me for breaking his heart. My father told me that I was to never go near Xavier again or else, but it didn't matter. I didn't love him anymore. I didn't.

0O0O0

_After Mari left the park, I left. I went home, crawled into my bed and didn't get up for three whole days. My heart felt like it was ripped apart and burned. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't do anything. My adopted mother understood that I was in emotional pain. She didn't bother me or force me to go to school. Everyone in gang understood too…everyone except Tiny that is. About four days after Mari discovered who I was, he barged into my room and dragged me out of my bed._

"_Stop it, X." He snapped. "Look what she's done to you. You didn't take any shit from anyone and now you're letting that bitch break you!"_

"_You don't understand." I said. "I loved her…More than anything. I'd give her the world if I had to."_

"_Would you leave the Xs?" He asked._

"_Tiny," I begged._

"Would you_?" he yelled at me at the top of his lungs. I was glad Emma was not home, although I knew my neighbors upstairs and downstairs would not like Tiny's shouting. _

"_What point does it make?" I asked. "She never wants to see me again." Pain seared through my body. My heart began racing and my respirations began increasing. _

"_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Tiny shouted. As I began to get a seizure, he dug in my nightstand for my medication. Finally, he found a small bottle of pain pills. "What the…where are the others?"_

"_Ma…Mari…has…them…" I managed to gasp. He got me some water and I took a small handful and tried to relax._

"_Are you gonna be okay?" He asked worriedly. I laughed halfheartedly._

"_As long as I don't think or talk about Mari, yeah." I sighed. "She really meant it, didn't she?" I asked._

"_Afraid so, buddy." He said. I pulled my knees up and placed my head on them._

"_Maybe it's time I just…let her go then."_

"_Good." My friend said._

0O0O0

Mid-March

I sat on the couch next to my mother and stared blankly out the window.

"Mariander, the television is not on." My mother informed me.

"I know." I said in a numb emotionless voice. By now, everyone, including Jen and Wally, knew that Jesse and I were over.

"Do you miss him?" She asked.

"Jesse?" I asked in a confused voice.

"No," She shook her head, "I mean X."

"No!" I snapped. I shook my head angrily. "I'm glad he's gone!"

My mother laughed softly and then spoke breezily in a smooth Tameranian flow. _'You are stubborn like your father, my darling.'_ Normally, I would have argued back in English, but for some reason, my mother's native tongue seemed so comforting.

'_What are you talking about?'_

'_Can you not see it?'_ My mother arched her perfectly lined eyebrow. _'You love him.'_

"No, I don't!" I gasped in English, too surprised at her answer to speak Tamaranian. I jumped up.

"_Bumgorf_," My mother said in a knowing voice. "You can't eat, you can't sleep, you just sit around and sulk all day. You love him and you know it. You remind me of someone, Mariander."

"Who?" I asked.

"Me, when I was only a few years older than you." She grinned, wider than I had ever seen her in my life.

"Huh?" I was shocked.

"Mariander, when I was twenty, maybe a year or so after I began dating your father, I met someone else. When your father and I broke up, I began dating this…someone. I really loved him, Mariander. But, then, we realized that we were not meant for each other. Our personalities clashed terribly and I realized that I missed your father. So we got back together."

"Before he turned into Rambo on crack?" I asked. She frowned.

"Mariander."

"Sorry." I said. "So, what happened to your 'mystery-man'?"

"He met another woman, we kept in touch for awhile until his fiancée died and his son went into an orphanage. After that, I didn't know…until a few months ago."

"Wait a minute…" I said.

Flashback

"_**How long have you had XODD?" I asked, anxious to get the details.**_

"_**Ever since I was a baby." Xavier said sadly, with a distant look in his eyes. "My dad gave it to my mother and she got pregnant with me. She lasted two months after I was born and died. Dear old dad dumped me off in an orphanage...I dunno, maybe a week later?"**_

"Mom…" I said. "You don't mean…Please don't tell me Xavier's _father_ was your…_**boyfriend**_."

"Hm, actually," my mother confessed, her cheeks turning pink like her perfectly manicured nails, "I think the proper term is…um…_lover_?"

"Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that you had sex with my ex-best friend's father…" I felt the color drain from my face. My mother quickly caught on.

"We broke up a year before either one of you were even conceived, Mariander." She said. "You are not related."

"Do you ever miss him?" I asked remembering something else. The dress. The black off the shoulder dress that she had given me back when she was dating _her _Xavier.

"Yes. Sometimes," She confided, "I wish that I could…take him back."

"As in divorce Dad?"

"Please do not tell anyone." She begged. After I gave her my word, she laughed. "How could I ever forget him? He was the first man I ever…"

"Loved?" I offered. She cocked her head. "uh…slept with?" I guessed, blushing myself, wondering why the heck she was even telling me this.

"That's it!" She said.

"Are you trying to give me some kind of moral, Mom, because hearing about your sex life is kinda…_creepy_." I said.

"My point is," She said sternly, "you love X very much and if you don't go after him, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Trust me." It took me several seconds before I realized my mother was about to cry. Her voice was wavering and she was biting on her lower lip.

"But Mom, I can't." I said, realized that there may be some truth to her words. "I told him I never wanted to see him again. Besides, Dad says I'm not allowed to see him again."

"But _I_ am telling you to go after him." She said. I looked at her with wide eyes. For once in sixteen years (and eight months, counting the months she was pregnant with me), my mother was using her _**authority**_ on someone.

"Will he take me back?" I asked her, as if I thought she knew what everyone was thinking. I looked at her with a soft "un-Mari" like expression: one filled with hope and innocence.

"He may, he may not. But, my daughter, allow me to ask you a question." She looked at me with a serious expression. "Would you rather be turned down, but know you gave it 'your best shot', or would you rather sulk around the tower, grow old, and, when you are my age, wonder if you could have 'gotten' him back? Go." She urged. I broke out in a smile and threw my arms around my mother's neck.

"What about Dad and Jesse? And the other Titans?" I asked.

"I shall worry about them." She promised with a wide smile. "Now go, before I change my mind." But I know that she did not mean that last part. I took out my communicator and threw it on the sofa. I hugged my mother one last time and I ran out of the Tower. I didn't stop until I was at the Xs' warehouse.

0O0O0

I could tell that no one was the least bit happy to see me darken the doors of the 'hideout' again. Not even Weasel.

"You shouldn't be here, Mari." He said seriously.

"I made a huge mistake." I said. "Please, let me talk to him."

"He's over you now." He said. My heart fell to the bottom of my stomach. "No get out of here before Tiny or anyone _else_ finds out you're here."

"Where is he?" I persisted.

"Mari--."

"What the hell is _she_ doing here?" Tiny growled. "Get out!"

"I'm just asking for two minutes!" I begged. He scoffed.

"Didn't you get the memo, Bitch?" He grinned, almost Joker-like, "He's moved on."

My eyes moved to the room above, where I could see a silhouette through the windows. I flipped onto the small stairway and rushed up the stairs, hoping to get up there before Tiny or an X caught me. I rushed into the room and closed the door behind me.

"Eh," I heard Tiny grunt, "Let X deal with her."

Xavier was sitting at a desk, bent over some papers. I ignored my partial shock that Xs dealt with paperwork and walked towards the desk.

"Xavier." My voice came out soft, almost like a whisper. Even I could hear my thick feelings of nervousness and fear of rejection. He looked up.

"Bye, Bitch." Tiny said happily. I looked back at him, emotionlessly.

"Bye, Prick. I hope I never see you again." I said boldly though my heart wasn't in my words. I turned back to the large doors of the warehouse and put my hand on the handle.

"Wow," A voice behind me said playfully, "that's gonna be kinda hard, Mari." My head jerked up. I whirled around to see Xavier, grinning widely.

"Wh-what?" I was shocked.

"Hate to break it to you, Mar, but Tiny spends a lot of time with me and so he's gonna have to see my girlfriend a lot."

"Gir-girl…" I stuttered. He laughed and walked towards me.

"The infamous Mari Grayson is at a loss of words?" he grinned evilly He pulled me into his arms and kissed me on the nose.

"I thought that you…" I was in so much shock I couldn't finish my sentence

"I was only pretending," He whispered in my ear, "I wanted to make sure you weren't screwing with me."

"I wasn't." I swore without hesitation.

"I love you, Mari." he said before kissing my lips tenderly. A rush of emotion assailed me and my heart raced happily in my chest. As Xavier moved away and my head cleared enough to think properly, I realized that this was the happiest I had ever felt since Murray died.

"I love you too." I replied, burying my head in his warm chest. Xavier's touch was far more inviting than Jesse's ever was and I loved it. I felt safe for once in my life and I loved it. I was safe and warm in my love's arms and I knew that I would never regret listening to my mother's advice.


	12. E l e v e n

**A/N: Dedicated to my wonderful, and patient beta, Somewhere In Time. :D Hope you like it.**

E l e v e n

_I loved spending time with Mari, I truly did. She was unlike any other girlfriend I ever had before. I could actually __**talk**__ to her about things I had never said to anyone before, not even Weasel and Tiny. However, the longer I was with her, the more I realized how bad the situation was for her in the long run. She didn't deserve a boyfriend like me, one with XODD. A normal boyfriend could eventually marry her and start a family with her; I could not. With a normal boyfriend she could have safety and security; not with me. Maybe with a normal boyfriend, she could take him home to meet her parents. Maybe her father would like him, and go easy on Mari. But he hated me, and things would be terrible for her if he knew we were dating. I hated to think about what would happen if the Head X Leader found out I was dating Mari's daughter. Damn, that would suck… Then I realized something. What would happen to Mari when I died? I hated the idea of it._

_Much to my surprise, most of the Jump City Xs accepted (or just ignored) Mari's presence. Tiny seemed to be the only guy pissed off by her being at our hideout. Then again, he hated any "woman" who stood between me and my responsibility as Red X and leader of the Xs. Much to my surprise, Mari admitted that, despite her hatred of our gang, she would not mind joining the gang. I had to admit, she would be good, but I did not want her in the Xs. I didn't want her risking her life to join the Xs. I didn't want her around to distract me. I didn't want her to become a hypocrite, joining the gang she hated. The whole idea made my insides squirm._

_I loved Mari almost to a point of obsession. I loved her silky soft raven hair, her bright electrifying blue eyes, her small (yet borderline anorexic) frame. You could feel her ribs from underneath her clothing, it was almost frightening. Unlike with any other people we were around, we were able to talk to each other about things that we kept secret from the rest of the world. By the time we were dating for about a week, I got Mari talking about her hopes and dreams, her fears and anxieties. Mari didn't want to be a Titan, not really. She had another path set out for her life. I was a little surprised to hear that Mari wanted to be a botanist. I honestly didn't expect her to be into plants because she was just too…mobile. I never really saw her stop moving, even in school. She would always have to tap her fingers on a desk or bounce her knee up and down._

_Mari also surprised me when she said that she wanted to marry __**me**__. Not now, but one day. I was flattered, but it made the feeling of guilt (that I would never give her what a normal boyfriend or husband could)stronger. But Mari was very insistent about me being her (one day) husband. She said that she was even willing to die a virgin in order to be with me. I tried to change her mind, so did Weasel and Tiny. If our relationship weren't secret, I would have even considered getting her mother, Jen, or even Jesse to change her mind. Then, I thought about her going back to Jesse, and quickly changed my mind. There was no way in hell I was going to let him take her back. Mari called me a hypocrite because of that, but I did not care. I fought hard for her, and there was no way I was giving her back. I made up my mind. I would even __**die**__ for her._

0O0O0

Xavier and I worked hard to keep our relationship a secret. He threatened, quite seriously, to kill anyone who squealed to the Head X about his dating "Nightwing's daughter" and I, with my mother's help, managed to artfully create a new pack of lies when needed. I literally had to write them all down and keep them on my person just to keep up with everyone I told. As far as everyone knew, I was with my new friend, Beverly, all the time. Xavier chuckled when I told him his "new name". When he asked about where we found the name Beverly, I told him that it was the name my father tried to give my mother when they married. I smiled as I told him my mother fought to keep the name Kori Anders. I told him I wished she still had more of that die-hard determination. Maybe then I would have had a halfway decent childhood.

I walked into the office and saw my boyfriend at his desk deeply enthralled by a newspaper. A closer look revealed the paper to be the classified ads.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He looked up.

"Hey. I'm looking to see if there's anyway I can get an apartment downtown."

"Don't be stupid." I rolled my eyes. "You aren't old enough to get an apartment."

"Oh really?" He passed me a card. I raised my eyebrows, then snorted.

"Nice fake ID."

"Huh?" Xavier snatched it back and thoroughly examined it. "How could you tell it was fake?"

"I used to sell fake ID cards on the Black Market. I know what one looks like."

"But," He pressed, "If you did not know what it looked like, would you be fooled?"

"Why would you want an apartment anyway?" I demanded. "You're sixteen years old! You don't need to live by yourself."

"I mean," He explained calmly, "I could get it now, get it ready, and then you and I could live together this time next year." His plan was hopeful, but really unrealistic. I would not be able to move out until I was eighteen. My father would make sure of that. I _did_ want to move in with him, but I just couldn't do it. It made me sad to think about it. The more time that passed, the uneasier I became. My lies were becoming more easy see through, my agenda was becoming more into an open book, and the Titans were becoming very close to find out about Xavier. If they did…I didn't even want to think about it.

0O0O0

_I couldn't help but feel nervous. I felt like a sitting duck sitting in the middle of my pain doctor's office with Mari next to me. Of course, she didn't look quite like herself. She wore her hair in a ponytail and kept it hidden in my black hoody that she was wearing. She had a pair of dark black sunglasses on, but she kept them pushed down on the bridge of her nose so that she could read a magazine. Every now and then, she would smack my thigh, hissing at me to relax. I was a local at that office so the other locals thought that I was nervous about the __**visit**__, not the fact that I could be caught with the one girl I wasn't allowed to even __**see**__. I put my arm around my girlfriend's shoulders and laid my head on the closest one to me. She rested her head on mine and sighed._

"_I swear, Wally, why do I even come here? The bastard's crazy and he doesn't fix anything." I heard someone complain. Suddenly, Mari's body stiffened, then began to tremble slightly. It was when the owner of the voice passed by us that I realized why she was so freaked out. It was Wally and Jen, Jesse's __**parents**__. I could hardly believe that Jesse's mother and I shared the same pain doctor. I could feel Mari's breathing become harder and faster. Her trembling steadily increased. I got up and pulled her up with me, then grabbed her hand and began to pull her out of the office. She squeezed my hand so tightly, I was worried that she would break it. We were halfway to the door when we heard Jen again._

"_Mari?" She said incredulously. I looked at Mari and realized the hood had falled off of her head. Mari's muscles seized and she began to panic. Then, she turned around and removed her glasses. I guess that she knew better than to run. After all, this woman practically raised her._

"_Hi, Jen." She laughed uncomfortably. "Your doctor's appointment was today?"_

"_Mariander Jean Grayson." Both Jen and Wally frowned at her and then crossed their arms across their chests. Jen glared at Mari and then me. I could feel my blood run cold and my own muscles freeze._

"_Yes?" Mari smiled weakly._

"_Whatever happened to 'I hate him, I never want to see him again.'?" Jen demanded. But this time, Mari's smile was genuine._

"_The same thing that happened to 'I hate that ginger bastard, I hope he runs himself off a cliff and dies.'" She retorted. But her smile slid right off her face when she realized that that was not going to help her._

"_Your father told you to stay away from him." Wally frowned._

"_Mom said I could!" Mari whined like a small child, still holding on tightly to my hand. __By this time I could hardly feel my hand. I tried to wriggle my fingers in a vain attempt to regain some feeling._

"_We have to tell your father, Mari." Jen sighed._

"_**Why?!**__" My girlfriend cried. "He can't tell me what to do!"_

"_He's your father." Jen argued. I didn't dare say a word. Wally __seemed to have__ the same idea._

"_If he tells me to stay away from Xavier, I'll move out!" Mari threatened._

"_Where?" Jen asked __skeptically__._

"_With Xavier." She breezily replied. I tried to hide my surprise. I wasn't planning on moving in with her for at least a year or two. Mari grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the office. I didn't dare argue with her or say anything while her eyes were __burning__ hot with rage._

**0O0O0**

**I snapped a few pictures of Mari and my son and smiled. The pictures, despite being taken by a cheap camera, were almost professional-looking. Before Elizabeth died, photography was a hobby of mine. ****Apparently, the talent and love of photography had been passed down to my son. ****Rose kneeled beside me, grinning like a cat at the scene that had played out across the street. **

"**Death," She said, "what now?"**

"**I'm afraid we will have to be the bearers of bad news once more." I replied solemnly. Rose smiled.**

"**Too bad." She said, not meaning a word of it.**

"**I wish you and Mari would stop acting like children." I sighed. "You both are so similar, you should have been twins."**

"**No we aren't!"**

"**You both are obsessive, lacking strong father-figures, both your mothers don't care about either of you, you both have a…similar taste in males. Nope, you both are as different as night and day." I snorted sarcastically.**

"**Why do you care so much about her?" She asked jealously. I hesitated.**

"**Don't worry about it." I replied.**

"**But…"**

"**I said, don't worry about it." I said sternly. She fell silent. I took another picture of Mari and smiled. "Let's go. I have a…test for you."**


	13. T w e l v e

**Disclaimer: I own only the TTNG…and Xavier. ^-^ He's my favorite (besides Mari).**

T w e l v e

I got into one of the biggest fights ever with my father when I got home. True to her promise (along with some photos from Xavier's father that were sent to my father), Jen told my father that I was dating Xavier despite his order not to. He screamed, but I screamed back. He threw things, I dented the walls. He even tried to make my mother cry, but to everyone's surprise, she yelled back at him angrily. She pointed out that no one in her family (especially her brother) wanted her to be married to _him_, but that didn't stop her. Unfortunately, that made my father think that Xavier and I were going to elope. Then he realized why my mother was so dead set on my dating Xavier. He thought that it was only because she wanted to see his father (despite the fact he did not know about her dating him…and sleeping with him). That only fueled his fire. Normally, I would have backed down after he got so mad because I knew my father would become violent, but this time was different. I only thought of my Xavier and suddenly my rage was refueled. My eyes burned hot (and blue) and I began swearing and cursing in my mother's native tongue. Then _she_ began swearing and cursing at him in Tameranian too about how he was a hypocrite and a cheating ass. I called him insensitive and a moron to the female heart. It was a pity he couldn't understand. If Xavier was there, he would have laughed at my father's (eventual) cowering to his angry wife and daughter only because he was unable to understand what they were screaming. But that did not last very long. Eventually, he got the courage to take a swing at the one who was screaming: Mom. He had never in all his years of cruelty ever tried to hit her, so he surprised everyone. I immediately rushed between her and his hand and he managed to hit me hard enough to send me flying. I realized with dread that I could have gotten a concussion--which would go along nicely with the black eye that would soon form. Cat started screaming like she was the one who had gotten hit and Randy ran out of the room. I jumped up and lunged at my father, knocking him to the ground. I may have been the stronger one in the fight, but he was more skilled (and a dirtier) fighter than I was. We rolled on the floor hitting and yelling at each other. No one tried to break us up. They were too afraid to be caught in the crossfire.

I felt someone grab me around the waist and jerk me up off my father and gently pushed me aside. My boyfriend clung to me tightly, trying to keep me back. He put his lips to my ear and gently shushed me. He stroked my hair and told me to calm down. Everything would be okay. I sighed, feeling calmer already. He was my stabilizer. He made everything okay. That became my mantra.

"Stay out of this." My father growled.

"Make me," Xavier growled, then laughed, "_Gramps._" I stiffened in his arms. Xavier had no idea what my father was capable of. My father could _kill_ him.

"Xavier…" I began uneasily.

"You're just as stupid as your father." My father scoffed.

"At least I _have_ a father." My boyfriend said. Before my father had time to attack us both, Xavier shoved me out of the way and teleported across the room. His face was unusually pale and dread hit me hard. If he had even the slightest of seizures now, my father would take advantage of it. My father charged at Xavier but, to everyone's surprise, he didn't budge. Instead, he jabbed my father in the neck. He had temporarily paralyzed him like he had done to me! "Keep in mind, old man, that I have taken down bigger and worse guys than you." Xavier growled. "Even your daughter was harder to take down." Then he got very close to my father's ear and said so lowly that only I and my father could hear him, "If you ever hurt her again, I'll personally see that you wake up in a bathtub full of ice missing a few organs. And I'll see to it that your little whore Barbara Gordon has the same fate." He stood up and walked away. "Thanks for calling me, Randy." He smiled thankfully. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and disappeared into thin air.

0O0O0

I straddled Xavier's lap and kissed him. He growled in soft annoyance, but he didn't dare push me off. He pulled his mouth away from mine and said he needed to get back to work. I laughed softly and kissed him again. I told him that he worked too hard. He pulled away again and told me to quit it. I got off of him and sulked into a corner. He apologized and struck a deal. I let him finish up some stuff on his minicomputer and then he was all mine for the rest of the day. I agreed and decided to take a nap.

"_**You can't hide from me forever, Mari, my love." He said.**_

"_**I'm not hiding, you are!" I backed up against a ledge. Dane strode towards me.**_

"_**Dear, dear, dear." He laughed. "Do you really think I'm hiding? Didn't I teach you anything?" He kissed my lips roughly and pulled me into his arms. "Always wait until the opportune moment." Suddenly, it was no longer Dane, it was Shadow.**_

"_**Shadow…"**_

"_**Are you listening, Mariander?" He demanded. "Always wait until the opportune moment. Then strike." Then he let me go and walked away. I ran after him, but he disappeared. Suddenly, I was in a mist filled field. The shadows surrounded me, but there were only a few I could see clearly. I could see Slade, who regularly plagued my nightmares and dreams despite the fact I never met him, a man and a woman I had never seen before dressed in flashy circus clothes who also inhabited my dreams, Murray, and now a new face: a woman who had just recently entered my dreams. She had long copper-brown hair and dark brown eyes that were hauntingly familiar.**_

"_**Mari," Murray said, "let Dane go."**_

"_**I can't, Mur!" I argued. "Not until he pays!"**_

"_**Silly Mariander," Slade laughed. "Just like her father. Runs on hatred." As usual, the man and woman said nothing. The new woman hung her head sadly. God, she looked so familiar.**_

"_**Who are you?" I asked.**_

"_**Elizabeth."**_

"_**Elizabeth…" Just as realization hit me, the floor shattered and I fell into darkness.**_

I shot straight up and looked around. Xavier looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Nightmare." I shrugged. "I'm fine." Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth…who was she and why was I dreaming about her? I knew I was not making her up. Her face seemed so familiar and her name was too. Where had I heard her name before. I remembered hearing someone--Jesse or Xavier--mentioning an Elizabeth before. Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth…

"What was your mother's name?"

"Which one?" He asked, his mind back on his work.

"Your birth mother."

"Elizabeth Conners. Why?" He asked.

"No reason." I got up and looked at the picture on his desk. I picked it up.

"Be careful with that." He ordered irritably. "That's the only picture of her I have." I put it down. It clicked. I smiled, feeling stupid about my uneasiness. I had seen her picture before and heard her name. That was why I had dreamt of her. But then, why did I feel so uneasy?

Suddenly, Weasel came in and handed Xavier a piece of paper. His face paled and he quickly put it away.

"What's wrong?" I demanded.

"Nothing!" He said. He got up and began to walk out the door.

"Xavier Oliver Redson." I growled. "Tell me."

"Don't worry about it." He said, or pleaded.

"Did the International Leader find out about us?"

"I wish." He laughed, though it sounded like Jesse's: forced.

"Xavier…"

"Tell her, X." Weasel said. He was pale like his friend.

"Titans Tower has been taken over by my father and Ravager. They say that if I don't bring evidence that you are dead to the Tower by midnight, he'll kill everyone there."


	14. T h i r t e e n

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans © DC Comics & Warner Bros.**

T h i r t e e n

_I managed to slip Mari a sleeping pill and she managed to sleep for a few hours. I tried to figure out what we should do. I hated her father, but I couldn't let her mother, Jen, and the others die. And I would __**never**__ even __**allow**__ Mari to die. I absolutely refused to let Mari risk her life going after her family and friends. I didn't want to lose her. I had never found anyone who I loved so much. I was willing to die for her. Weasel came up with the plan to save her. All I had to do was stage Mari's death, bring in some fake blood, a few locks of her hair and my father would believe it…I hoped. Sure, the Titans would hate me for "killing" Mari, but I would do anything to save her._

"_Watch Mari." I told Tiny while suiting up._

"_You'll __**die**__, X." He said._

"_Promise me that you'll treat her like she's a human being." I asked, ignoring him._

"_Okay." He agreed grudgingly. "Who's going to be the leader when you die?" He asked hopefully._

"_None of your business." I smiled. "When the time comes, you'll know." I had to tell him that. He had been pining for my job ever since I had gotten it. I was too much of a coward to tell him that my job would go to Weasel when I died. But my answer made him happy. "Don't tell Mari where I am, okay? She'll only go after me."_

"_Fine." He agreed. I knew he was only doing it for me. If he had a choice, I knew that he would gladly send Mari to her death._

"_X." Weasel ran in holding something in a towel._

"_What's this?" I asked taking it. I took of the towel and nearly dropped it. It was a perfect replica of Mari's arm from her hand to her elbow that seemed like it was viciously ripped off by force. It made me sick to my stomach just thinking of it. I forced a smile. "Thanks, Weas."_

_I slipped into my office before leaving. Mari was fast asleep on a makeshift bed in the corner, her hand was clutched in a fist and her face was scrunched up as if she was having a nightmare. Her nose twitched ever so slightly like it usually did when she was sleeping. I kissed her forehead lovingly and traced a finger down the arm Weasel had replicated. I stroked her hair hesitantly._

"_I love you, Mari." I kissed her again before getting up to leave her._

0O0O0

"I love you, Mari."

I woke up groggily to find Xavier gone and his office vacant of anyone's presence. I got up and looked at my communicator to see what time it was. 11:58. I gasped and ran downstairs.

"Where is he?" I demanded. My tone was rather harsh, I knew, but I didn't care.

"Who?" Weasel asked innocently.

"Xavier!"

"He went out for some air." Tiny yawned.

"Bullshit! He went out to do some bullshit heroics, didn't he?"

"No!" Weasel said. "He really went out to get some air."

"Oh, okay." I said. I walked over to the corner and grabbed a crowbar.

"What are you doing?" Tiny asked uneasily. I walked towards where Xavier kept his extra xenothium powered belts. It was locked tighter than Fort Knox and it had DO NOT ENTER written on the cupboard door. I slammed to crowbar into it and tore the door open. I gingerly picked up the belt and opened it so I could slip the xenothium core into my own belt.

"Mari, don't!" Holly warned. I smiled and winked at her.

"Relax, Holly, I'm an ex-Joker. I know how to handle this stuff." Luckily, Red X's belt was originally my father's belt so it worked the same. I was instantly teleported to his office. I dug in his drawers looking for some spare clothes. I found and pulled on a pair of baggy black jeans and a black sweatshirt of mine he had stolen awhile back (not to wear though, just to vex me). I pulled my hair back into a bun and slipped on my old mask. I then teleported to my room at the Tower. I slipped into the ventilation system and crawled towards the Ops Center. There he was, getting air my ass. Xavier was standing in his suit, without his mask, in front of his father. A creepy arm that looked hauntingly like my own was in front of him. With blood. From the glares and horrified looks he was getting from the Titans, they bought it. Then, Jen looked up at the vents and saw me. She started to laugh. Then Wally saw me and understood.

"What's so funny!" Crimson Death snapped.

"You have to forgive my dear wife," Wally said, "She's…got a few screws loose, if you catch my drift."

"Well, shut her up!"

"Sorry." Jen snickered. Unfortunately, she made Xavier and his father look up at the vents, luckily I was gone and behind a table. However, I think that caught Rose's eye.

"I don't think she's dead." She said.

"You didn't think that a minute ago." Xavier growled.

"Then what's…" I was gone before she could grasp me.

"You're crazy." Xavier said, but I could catch his uneasiness in his voice.

"You know what," His father said, "I don't think you killed her either."

"What?!" Randy yelled. "Her arm is right there!"

"And Mari," Crimson Death replied grabbing me by my mask and hair, "is right here, with _both_ arms."

"Sorry." I apologized to Xavier. He frowned deeply, then looked at my belt. He knew. I mouthed '_I love you_' to him.

"Want me to finish his job for him?" Rose asked. My father jerked at his bonds. He wanted to attack Crimson Death…badly. What would happen if he killed him, I wondered. I pulled off my mask and sighed.

"Come on, Rosie, I don't have all day." I teased.

"_**Wait until the opportune moment and strike."**_

Rose jumped at me, but I dodged her. She summoned her robots and tried to tackle me again. Xavier fought his father for the key to the Titans' shackles as I fought Rose. Then it clicked. I lured Rose over to Crimson Death and then waited until she was about to jump on me before teleporting away. She collided with him and Xavier grabbed the key and tossed it to me.

"Thanks, Rose." He smiled. Then he reached over and took the xenothium chunk out of my belt.

"Fun-sucker!" I frowned as he put it in his own belt. Rose took that moment to force me to the ground.

"Ha!" She smiled. "Now what do you have to say?"

"Thank you, Xavier, my love, for teaching me this." I said putting my finger to her neck. Rose fell limp on top of me. I got out from under her and jumped on my boyfriend's father. I tried to do the same to him, but he grabbed my hand. I tried to swing a foot at him, like Shadow had taught me, but he caught that too.

"What…"

"You have to try harder, Mari." He said.

"Wha…" I said softly. "No."

"Maybe yes, maybe no." He said then threw me at Xavier, who caught me just before I hit the ground. "Congratulations son, you pass the test."

"What?!" Xavier said in disbelief.

"It was a test to see if _Robin_ has rubbed off on you, and he hasn't. Thanks, Birdbrain, Kori."

"Wait, you were testing him?" Rose gasped. "I thought the test was mine!"

"It wasn't just yours and it wasn't just his. There was one more person I needed to test." Crimson Death said. "We'll be in touch, Mari." He grabbed Rose's hand and the disappeared. Despite my confusion, I smiled. One word silently passed through my lips and I smiled.

"Dude, you father is one _crazy_ son-of-a-bitch." Randy said to Xavier.

"I'm just hoping it's not genetic." Xavier said.

"Get out." My father said. "Or we'll call the cops."

"Richard!" Mom gasped. "He saved your life."

"If he had never interfered, he wouldn't of had to. Now get out!" He growled.

"Fine, maybe Mari would be better off anyway." He said walking out the door. Jesse grabbed me to hold me back. I stamped on his foot and ran after Xavier.

"No!" I grabbed his arm.

"Let me go, Mar."

"Make me." I dared.

"Mariander Jean Grayson, get over here." My father shouted. "He's no good."

"Go," He smiled sadly detaching me from his arm. "Go find a math geek to date."

I watched him go farther down the hallway. Anger and sadness washed over me as I felt helpless over what I should do. I would never be in my father's trust again if I stayed with Xavier, but I would never be as happy if I let him go.

"I thought that was what I was doing!" I shouted at him. He turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Mom, can I?" I asked. Then in Tameranian, I added, "_He may not be a Titan like Jesse, but I love him just as much as you used to love Dad__…and __**your**__ Xavier._"

"Kori." My father said warningly. Everyone looked at my timid mother, waiting for her response. My father smirked. She _never _disobeyed him.

**A/N: What will Kori/Starfire's decision be? Will she side with her husband and say no or will she side with her daughter and say yes? Only I know! Eh, and probably you, my dear beta.**


	15. E p i l o g u e

_**Disclaimer: I guess I only own Xavier, Cat, Randy, and Jesse. Mari really belongs to DC Comics, even though I made her and Rose into my own creation(s)**_

_E p i l o g u e_

_I sat on the roof in my new black dress watching the prom goers enter the building. I stroked the lacy skirt with some gentleness. It looked like it had cost me at least a hundred bucks, when really I bought it at a thrift store for only twenty dollars. It was black and lacy with a jet black skirt that brushed against my ankles and it hand dark crimson laces going in Xs across my chest and actually showed off what little cleavage I had quite nicely. I did my hair up in a neat, yet loose, bun and put on some make up and painted my nails black with red Xs to match my dress. To say that I had gone with Jesse to the prom would be a lie. Yes, we went together. We went into the same entrance, we even showed our tickets at the same time. But I had only "accompanied" Jesse to the prom as a favor to Jen. Unlike Cat and Randy, who were dates and had bought "couple" tickets, Jesse and I each bought "single" tickets. He went off with John and the other jocks as soon as we arrived and I went off to the roof. That was why I bought a cheap dress. I had no prom date, so why bother? I only "dolled" myself up so that I could make Jesse mad and jealous. He didn't even bother to find a prom date. If he couldn't have me, he didn't want to go at all. I looked in through the skylight at the partygoers. I saw Randy looking stiff and timid in his tuxedo and Cat looking lovely in her light purple dress that drew attention away from her hair that hung around her face in gentle ringlets. Which was strange because her dress was the ugliest thing I had ever seen. When I had told her that, however, she replied snobbishly that at least her dress didn't make her look like she was going to a funeral and that at least she had a date. That stung because my choice for a prom date refused to go with me. Jesse was over with the jocks looking as if his heart had just been broken. But I knew that that had been done long ago. I wondered what he would look like if Rose was there as his date back when he thought he loved her. I could see her with her hair partially pulled back (before she butchered it) in a short light blue dress laughing happily, holding Jesse's arm so tightly it would be a wonder that he still had feeling in that arm. But he wouldn't mind. He would be laughing at one of John's jokes, holding his trophy girlfriend in his arms. I would be standing in the background…alone._

I'm sure you are wondering what my mother's decision was. She said _yes_. She allowed Xavier and me to remain together, which in turn made it easier for us because if my father had his way, I would be under constant surveillance. We were ecstatic. However, he refused to take me to the one event that would assure people that Jesse and I were not getting back together. He hated school functions, such as proms and homecoming dances, but gave me an empty promise that we would go to our senior prom. No doubt he would drink that night away also. I knew I had to deal with my disappointment. That was just how life was. It wasn't like it was my first time being disappointed. I walked back across the roof of the hotel and sat on the ledge. I knew I had to deal with my disappointment, but that didn't make me feel any better. Then I got up and began pacing around the roof again.

"Damn, you really know how to make a guy feel guilty, you know that?"

"Xavier!" I gasped whirling around. He was standing a few feet away from me in a black tuxedo. "What are you doing here?"

"I felt guilty about not taking you to prom." He admitted. "So, I got a tux and decided I'd come here looking for you."

"You didn't have to." I blushed. He walked towards me and a cupped a hand underneath my chin.

"I know that, but I wanted to. It'd make you happy." He said. He kissed my forehead. "I love you, Mari."

"I love you too." I said. "Thank you."

"This should be…fun." He said uncomfortably. I took his arm and began to pull him towards the door to go downstairs. "Wait!" He said. He went over to a spot near the skylight and came back with a box. He opened it and showed me a wrist corsage he must have gotten before he came here.

"You really went all out." I said in surprise. It was beautiful and even matched my dress. Even a fool could see that he had been on the verge of apologizing to me at leas all day and had _someone_ to follow me. There was no doubt in my mind that Weasel had told him to buy a corsage for me. It was a blood red rose attached to a black ribbon. He put it on my wrist and then looked back up to me. He was nervous! I was so surprised I started laughing. "I didn't know Red X got nervous." I said between giggles. He blushed as red as my corsage and murmured something about being nervous, making a fool of himself, and me. I tried not to laugh. "Poor baby."

"Don't know why I let you talk me into this." He grumbled. "I feel like a fool! I'm in a penguin suit, I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do now, and I _really _need a drink. If there is a God, he'll have made someone spike the punch!" He swore. I rolled my eyes and pulled him to the party.

"How do you know they even _have_ punch?" I asked. He groaned. Truth to be told, I didn't really know what you do at proms either. "Where's your guard dog?"

"Tiny would do _anything_ to miss this. Weasel's over there with Holly." He pointed to his nervous friend over in the corner opposite of my ex. I was surprised, yet happy to see them. Weasel looked quite dashing in his tuxedo and Holly looked breathtaking in her blood red halter dress that grazed her knees gracefully.

"They look happy."

"Surprising, seeing as how I forced Weasel to come with me." Xavier smirked.

"That's terrible!" I gasped.

"If I'm going down, he's going with me!" He defended himself. I swatted him lovingly.

"I thought you didn't _have_ a date!" Cat said, dragging Randy towards us. "That's great!" Secretly, I knew that she was jealous. When I was alone, she had an advantage over me. Now that we were (almost) adults, she and I were just like Rose and I: always competing (although Rose was a lot more fun to compete against. Cat just sulked when she lost, Rose got even).

"Yep," I forced a smile and squeezed Xavier's arm…a little _too _tightly. Instead of making a scene, he simply leaned in and whispered that if I wanted a boyfriend with _two _arms, I'd loosen up. I blushed and apologized. Then I caught him eyeing Jesse with an mischievous look in his eyes.

"Mari…"

"No!" I said. "Let's go spike the punch instead."

"I'd rather go over there and talk to John."

"No," I growled lowly, "you'd rather cart me over there like a damn trophy! Like _Jesse_ would have done!" That hit home.

"Alright, but I don't have the right…_material_ to spike the punch." He sighed, then said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel like a trophy. Even though I _am_ proud to call you my girlfriend." He gave my neck soft kisses. "Uh-oh."

"What?"

"Asshole caught us." He said. I looked up to see Jesse and his gang approach us.

A strong, ungodly odor attacked my nostrils and I began coughing. I couldn't recognize the smell, but I knew Xavier did. He seemed _angry _about it too.

"You have some nerve coming in here with that shit, West." Then I knew. Glazed, red eyes, unsteady walk, dilated pupils, I couldn't believe it took me so long to realize it. Jesse was stoned. I immediately thought that if his mother caught him, she'd have (literally) a heart attack. I couldn't understand Jesse's response because it was so slurred. Suddenly, I realized that Wally _hadn't _been burning stuff in the kitchen, his son was smoking weed in his room which was right next door to mine! No wonder my plants were acting so strangely. The fumes were affecting them! I had never felt so infuriated in all my life (besides when Dane killed Murray)!

"Jesse James West, you bastard! If your mother found out, she'd have an attack that would land her in the ICU!" I growled lowly. "Give me the weed, Jess."

"No."

"Don't argue with me."

"I said no!" He hissed. I barely understood him.

"Is this supposed to make her feel guilty? Or are you trying to let your mother catch you and then die of shock, _then_ make Mari feel guilty. You're such a coward, West. If you want a fight, fight _me_ like a _man_." Xavier snorted. He took off his tux jacket and threw it at Weasel who had approached us.

"Stop it!" Holly snapped. "You both are acting like children!"

"Stay out of it." Xavier warned looking at Holly, then me. "Both of you."

"You'll be thrown out!" I said, agreeing with Holly.

"Back off, Mari." Jesse growled lowly, reminding me of a dog. Xavier got in front of me and dug into his belt. I wasn't really surprised to see that he had his Red X belt, but I wished that I had brought mine. Wanting to be fashion-smart for once, I decided that black and yellow did _not_ match black and red.

"Don't even _talk_ to her, West."

"Is there a problem, _gentlemen_?" The Headmaster, a short dumpy man with a receding hairline approached us. Jesse looked scared, Xavier looked uneasy. "Mr. West, why don't you rejoin your friends over there before you do something that will look quite nasty on college applications. Mr. Redson, why don't we end this year right _without_ another mark on your permanent record?"

"I will if Weedy the Pothead over there stops looking at my girlfriend's rack like some kind of hungry animal." Xavier grumbled. Luckily for Jesse, the Headmaster did not hear him.

"Good, good." He smiled widely. "Mr. Scerns, Miss Randele, Mr. Redson, Miss Grayson, as you were."

"You should have ratted him out." Holly sighed.

"I couldn't. I pity his mother too much." Xavier sighed.

"You're a good man." I smiled rubbing his arm. He grabbed his jacket from Weasel and put it back on. I straightened it and fixed his tie. He snorted in half-amusement, half-irritance.

"You are enjoying this way too much, Mari." He sighed.

"What can I say? It's nice seeing you somewhat amused without liquor nearby." I shrugged.

0O0O0

Xavier had done Jesse a favor that night, but my ex screwed himself in the end when Jen found a pound and a half of weed stashed in his bedroom. To my surprise, she took it better than I had expected. Wally, on the other hand, snapped and threatened Jesse within an inch of his life if he ever caught him smoking pot again. Jesse never let him catch him.

Like the few boys before him that refused to let me go (Dane especially), Jesse grew somewhat…obsessive about me, more that before. He needed to know where I was, what was I doing there, and how long was I going to leave his eye. That only infuriated my boyfriend more, hence we spent many of our dates far away from the Tower or in the Xs hideout when we didn't want him spying on us. When Jesse got a full scholarship to a university about fifty miles south of Gotham (well on the other side of the country, thank God), that didn't give us much relief. Shortly after Xavier and I started our senior year, Jesse smugly reminded us that he was fast. Of course he could go to school across the country and then still live at home with his mother and father. Which thoroughly annoyed me. Xavier and Jesse managed to be civil…when they had to be. For the last two weeks of school, they got into terrible fights…outside of school. Rachel was kind enough to mend Xavier's three broken noses and cracked wrists, so he didn't stay injured, at least for too long. However, Jesse always walked away from the fight in worse condition that Xavier. They behaved themselves around Jen. Neither of them wanted to be responsible for one of her attacks.

0O0O0

**Rose wasn't like her mother, thank God. The years of being a single parent and Slade's death had made Terra's mind very unstable. At least Rose could control her moods for the most part. Terra was unpredictable. She was upset that we had not killed the Titans.**

"**I've been waiting for almost a year, Xavier!" She shouted, shaking the antiques on the wall. "Are you going to or not!?"**

"**I'm waiting for the opportune moment." I said. "Rose understands, why don't you?"**

"**My daughter is an idiot!" She growled. "She doesn't understand how to do these things!"**

"**Rose is smarter than you think, Terra." I rolled my eyes.**

"**I'm tired of waiting for Richard Grayson to die!" She screeched. "He's lived all this time while my fiancé lies in the ground…**_**dead**_**!"**

"**Mother," Rose said timidly. She carefully walked into the room and ducked behind me like a frightened child. "W-why don't we let Grayson and his daughter live up their victory so they will not expect us to strike again."**

"**That is the most," Terra began angrily. I blocked Rose from her. "That is the most brilliant idea I have heard you say in all your seventeen years of living, Rose, darling." Rose and I sighed in relief. "Xavier," She said sweetly, "when shall we strike."**

"**Simple." I laughed. "As long as my son is around, I doubt Rose and I will be able to get the Titans. I've trained him to well for his own good. However, I know it will only be a matter of time before the Xs find out that he is dating someone who is forbidden. Association to **_**any**_** Titan is forbidden and is punished in a most severe way. It won't be long. Once they have him and **_**punish**_** him, we'll strike."**

"**Xavier," Terra asked, "what is the punishment for association with a Titan?"**

"**Death."**

**A/N: The last chapter for Book 2. First of all, I would like to thank my friend Sarah for reading and proofreading the first TTNG story I ever wrote, therefore inspiring me to write this (well, TTNG: Book 1, THEN this) when that story failed terribly…and then the next one failed…then the next one. So far, this one has had MUCH more success. :D Second, I would like to thank my beta, Somewhere In Time, for patiently reading each chapter, then kindly fixing my errors and helping me make each chapter sound better. Hehe, technically, SHE partially owns TTNG as much as I do since she helped me so much. And last, but never least, I would like to thank all of the readers (and reviews!) for reading and giving me feedback, making this story one of the best fanfics I have ever written (even though I complain to my beta how bad I think it is…which is pretty sad on my part).**


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